A Circe Language Epiphany

When I give books as a present, I sometimes highlight a quote or two. It's either one I liked, or one I think the person I’m gifting the book to will like.

I know some people will think of this as “ruining” a book, but I adore it. It always feels like putting a bit of myself into the gift, making it more personal. “Have this book and also this piece of me or this little thing that specifically made me think of you”, if you want to be dramatic like that (and I most certainly am). Not just the book, but a reason why this book for you and you in particular.

In Germany, it was Mother’s Day recently, and I decided to get my mum a copy of Circe by Madeline Miller. Before that, I’d recommended The Song of Achilles to her, which she loved, so Circe was the obvious choice. And, as soon as I had decided on it, I knew which quote I was going to highlight.

“Timidity creates nothing” is a thought of Circe’s when she’s contemplating starting an affair with Daedalus. It is a fantastic, empowering statement, and I felt myself grin reading it again, as I skipped through my copy of the book first, then through my mother’s to mark it. However, I hadn’t thought to consider a tiny detail: My mum’s German and, of course, I ordered the German version for her — Which completely messed with everything.

In the German translation, Circe does not talk about timidity; she speaks of timid or fearful people. “Wer furchtsam ist, erschafft nichts” which literally translates to “who is fearful, creates nothing”, which, to me, is a vastly different statement.

The English version describes a characteristic in an arguably neutral way. Timidity can be equated with cowardice and trepidation, but it can also be a synonym to bashfulness, which is significantly less negative. So in the English version, timidity, be it fear or be it hesitancy, does not create anything.

The German translator, Frauke Brodd, chose the German word for “fearfulness” as their translation, which is much narrower in the sense of interpretation freedom. But the much more important thing they did, is the changing of the subject: In the English version, the substantive is timidity. It is timidity who creates nothing or is unable to create anything. In the German translation, it is "someone who is fearful" who is unable to create, thus creating nothing. The German version puts the “blame”, the “inability” on a person, while the English one puts it to a characteristic, timidity itself.

By no means am I trying to criticise the translator. Languages are unlike equations; you will never get an X = Y after translating from one language to another and comparing the versions. There are always too many nuances, linguistic uniqueness, cultural aspects… Translating “perfectly” is impossible, and I’m sure Mrs. Brodd, did a remarkable job.

It doesn’t even seem like much of a change at first. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s people who are fearful slash timid, or timidity itself that creates nothing. What’s important is that Circe should be brave and take the hot inventor to bed!” Right?

But I disagree (not with the taking-the-hot-inventor-to-bed part, obviously). I picked this quote specifically for my mum, because I wanted to remind her, that while timidity is a part of life, a characteristic with a definite right to exist, it is not what we let ourselves be ruled by, if we wish to be creators at that moment. While the German quote, to put it exaggeratedly, shames timid, no, fearful people for their inability to create and deems them non-creators, the English version is much more subtle. Everyone is timid in certain situations, and rightfully so. The English quote merely reminds readers that, while actions inspired by that this particular feeling may sometimes be justified, they will also never be actions that cause big change or progress.

I would rather not tell my mum to change herself into a non-fearful person. I merely want her to pick hope over fear if she wishes to. And to not be surprised that things cease to change if she picks timidity instead of bravery every time. One is not better advice than the other, persé, but one really, really fits one person’s life… And the other doesn’t, not for this particular person. The translations isn’t lacking, it’s changing the meaning of a sentence.

Again, it might not seem like much of a difference. Yet, in my particular situation, it led from me knowing exactly what I wanted to communicate to someone, to picking a different quote on a different topic entirely. Because I was unable to do so through the same medium as I would have been able to, had I gifted her the English version.

There are several examples of translation “fails”. When things get translated so badly, that you notice it without ever having read the original. This is not one of those cases. Had I only read the German version, I wouldn’t have realised. But I also wouldn’t have highlighted the quote for myself or my mum in the first place.

Again, I do not mean to roast Frauke Brodd at all. I read an interview with her in which she states that she was in contact with Madeline Miller the whole time while translating the book, checking in with her concerning specific parts. I just mean to draw attention to the beauty of different languages and the importance of details. I’m German myself, I only learned English from living abroad for a bit, and I am so grateful for having access to two different versions of everything, two-and-a-half, if you count what I remember of my lessons in Ancient Greek in Sixth Form. And I’m far from special because of that.

A girl in my A-Level German class was fluent in German and English and her native language was Polish, which, she said, also means that she can understand Russian and Ukrainian. That’d be five different ways of telling my mum that I think she’s capable of creating great things — maybe through picking bravery over timidity, maybe through changing herself, maybe… I don’t know. Because I only read two versions.

But damn, did those occupy my mind for a while. And damn does it vex me that I can only tell Circe to bloody go to Daedalus' room in two of them.

How many languages can you comfortably read in?

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• One.
• I'm good with two.
• I read in three or more.