Miroslav Zumrík - Translator of the Month
Our Translator of the Month for January is Miroslav Zumrík. He holds a master’s degree in philosophy, Polish, and Scandinavian studies, and translates from Norwegian, Swedish, and Polish into Slovak. He studied at Comenius University in Bratislava, where he also completed his PhD in literary studies with a focus on Thure Erik Lund’s works, and where he now teaches Scandinavian subjects.
Miro is also a researcher at the Ľudovít Štúr Institute of Linguistics at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where he primarily works in corpus linguistics, stylistics, and terminology.
Which of the books you’ve translated has brought you the most joy?
It might seem strange to talk about joy in connection with Åsne Seierstad’s One of Us, but the wide range of terminology I had to work with in this book was incredibly stimulating. It included concepts from chemistry, forensic science, the legal system, politics, as well as Norway’s history, crafts, and many other fields. Even though many of these terms fade from memory over time, this particular job was truly special. Not least because, like everyone else, I felt that this event was completely beyond the ordinary scope of what we usually deal with.
Is there a Norwegian book that hasn’t yet been translated into Slovak, which you long to translate?
Without a doubt, I would mention the books written by Thure Erik Lund. He has a wonderful habit of always sending me his latest work, and I very much want to reciprocate by finally finding the time — and a willing Slovak publisher — for Lund’s unique storytelling. I know his works have only been partially translated into English and German, and if the opportunity arises, I would love to translate his latest novel, Vertebrae. I think it would work well in Slovak too. I read it with great pleasure, as a kind of reward after completing my monograph. I’m almost certain I’ll succeed in catching a publisher.
Read more
Learn more about Miro on Books from Norway.
Those of you who understand Norwegian can read his interview in full here.
Other translators interviewed in the Translator of the Month series.
