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English to Afrikaans: Melkkantien - Milk Canteen Afrikaans Poem by Elisabeth Eybers General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Poetry & Literature
Source text - English Wat soek sy hier waar alles glim, die vrou,
verweer en afgewater, kneukels rooi,
soos die tamatiesap waarom hulle klou?
Tussen die kelnerinne, opgetooi,
met jong gesigte, almal leeg en hard,
wat soek sy hier, so afgesloof en stroef,
in haar verrimpelde gelaat die smart
van anders en alleen wees saamgeskroef?
Vir sóveel powerheid is daar geen troos:
ek vat die vol glas lomp en ek sê, ek soek
na ʼn apteker, dalk kan sy my help?
Sy stoot die vaal toutjieshare terug, oorstelp
van vriendelikheid, beduie tandeloos:
Jy meen ʼn kemmis? Ja, net om die hoek.
Translation - Afrikaans What does she want here in the glow, this woman,
weathered and watered-down, knuckle joints red
like the tomato juice she claws?
Among the waitresses, dolled up,
with young faces – empty steel,
what does she want, so worn out and grim?
The grief of distinct disparity and loneliness
in her leathery wrinkles, synchronously screwed;
no solace for such wretched gloom there be:
I clumsily take the full glass and say I’m looking
for a pharmacist, perhaps she can help?
She pushes back the drab, stringy hair, brimming
with kindness, motioning with a toothless smile:
Jy meen ʼn kemmis?* Ja, just around the corner.
* You mean a chemist? Yes, ….
The word ‘kemmis’, directly half-translated half-transliterated from the English word ‘chemist’, can never carry the same meaning in English. From there the decision to leave the whole question in Afrikaans.
It’s an Afrikaans ‘slang’ term – although not in the general sense – used by someone who’s had a hard life. An Afrikaans woman from a poor background – from the other side of the tracks, if you will.
Using the English term will rob the character of her most distinguishing feature – her language – and the poem of its bottom line, where the author points the finger at herself and her reader about the judgements we make on first impressions.
Translator and editor, working in English and Afrikaans. Since my
first freelancing project in 2007, I’ve worked in various fields, from fiction and
school books to technical and medical translations.
Like all freelancers, I've had to diversify, but fiction
and poetry are my first loves. This is probably the case because I'm insatiably
curious and fascinated by how we become what we become and the interaction of
that process with the language we use. Or, simply put, our stories and how we
tell them.
A South African farm girl from the Free State with a Sesotho name,
'Puleng', which means 'rain'. Reluctant townie turned city girl and international
resident. Lapsed musician. Occasional psychologist. Cookbook compiler.
My latest adventure was to be part of a selected group of ten
participants for the multilingual poetry strand of the University of East
Anglia's Summer School for Literary Translations and Creative Writing from
18-22 July 2022. There were ten strands of ten participants each, selected from
more than 200 applications worldwide. Besides the multilingual poetry and prose
strands, there were language-specific groups, a group for training workshop
leaders, and another for the Creative Writing Master's Students of the
University of East Anglia.
