We hear a lot about literary, audiovisual, and technical translation, but we often overlook those texts in translation that do not fall — at least not squarely — into any one of these categories. Zakiya Hanafi wrote a compelling piece about the art and craft of scholarly translation in a 2024 article for The Northwest Linguist. Now we’re featuring David Houston-Hill, a prolific verse translator based in Vancouver, Washington. 

The Joys and Challenges of Verse Translation
by David Houston-Hill

I have always felt excited to translate verse, ever since my first commission in the 1990s. I relish exploring an unfamiliar text and figuring out how to render it into English verse. I also like the fact that someone is paying me to furnish this service for a project they are eager to bring to the public.

WORKING WITH VERSE

I translate songs and poems into English from German, Hungarian, Romanian, and Russian. Combining linguistic precision and artistic creativity, I endeavor to emulate the original meaning, style, and tone, as well as formal elements such as rhyme and meter.

That’s unless, of course, the assignment is to produce something a bit different. For example, I have taken on some jobs that were defined as adaptation rather than translation.

Though I aim to deliver translations that are both accurate and stylish, I welcome clients scrutinizing my work from those points of view before using it. Most of my clients do. Good improvements have resulted!

IMPORTANT — AND ENJOYABLE

Verse translation lets talent cross borders, enabling people to experience powerful writing that they otherwise wouldn’t. You’ve enjoyed the results if you've ever tapped your feet to Mack the Knife (Marc Blitzstein translating from Bertolt Brecht) or Let It Be Me (Manny Curtis translating from Pierre Delanoë). Beyoncé and Roxette have reached wider audiences by re-recording their English lyrics in Spanish versions (Rudy Pérez and Luis Gómez Escolar, respectively).

For me, translating verse means a chance to indulge both my love of languages and my fascination with the art of a well-turned lyrical line.

COLLABORATING WITH TALENTED PEOPLE

I’ve been lucky enough to work on varied and interesting projects with many talented people over the years.

Composer Gregory Vajda has invited me to work on texts for three vocal compositions. One involved translating Attila József’s Medáliák (Medals), as Vajda wanted it to be singable in either Hungarian or English. The other two saw me developing libretti based on the stories of Frigyes Karinthy. One of the resulting compositions is on a CD.

The rock musician Loui’s album Solid Solo Songs includes both English lyrics he had me translate from Hungarian and others, like in the song Hold On, that I wrote or co-wrote in English. He recently credited me as co-writer when he wrote Hungarian lyrics for one of the songs I had written in English, since his new version drew on my ideas.

I was commissioned by the Hungarian singer Vilmos Gryllus to translate a selection of children’s songs, including The Witch (see below), so he could re-record them in English.

For the Hungarian band Kistehén (Little Cow), I co-wrote a song in English — How Could You Follow Me? — and translated lyrics for two albums so they could be released in dual Hungarian and English editions. The translated songs include Time Takes Patience.

I also translated lyrics for two Baltazar Theatre productions. And then there was a seven-year period when I was frequently called upon to translate poetry for The Hungarian Quarterly.

Additionally, I’ve translated verse and prose, mostly from German, for several volumes of The Persecution and Murder of the European Jews by Nazi Germany 1933-1945. The material is documentation from the Holocaust — often harrowing accounts.

SPECIAL CHALLENGES

When translating for singers, it is not enough to be true to the meaning and structure. It must be singable. This means, for example, making sure there are long, open vowels on the soaring notes. With the Vilmos Gryllus translations, the songs were accompanied by animated videos; I had to ensure the same details were mentioned at the same moments, so the visuals matched the words.

LITERARY LUMINATI

I’ve had the honor of being commissioned to translate multiple acclaimed writers. From Hungarian, these include Ádám Nádasdy, Krisztina Tóth, Ottó Tolnai, István Kemény, Orsolya Karafiáth, Zoltán Halasi, Anna T. Szabó, and András Gerevich. From Romanian, they include Ioan Vieru, Șerban Foarță, Gheorghe Ene, Mircea Cărtărescu (who recently won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction and the International Dublin Literary Award [tr. Sean Cotter]), Mircea Ivănescu, Costache Olăreanu, Florin Iaru, and Leonid Dimov. The poet I have translated the most is Attila József, with four assignments … to date!

PRO BONO

I have had the privilege of organizing events where writers and translators can present their work and cooperate. For example, Converging Lines, which has since broadened into a Hungarian<>anglophone creative forum on LinkedIn (open to interested people), started with a 2004 festival. The event brought together Hungarian and English-language poets for readings and workshops to “see what ideas, affinities and collaborations are sparked off” (as we organizers wrote in the booklet). It led to publications such as the 2010 anthology New Order, edited by George Szirtes.

Poet Clare Pollard cited Converging Lines as her initiation into translation. She later edited Modern Poetry in Translation, created the translation book Ovid’s Heroines, and went on to edit Hungarian translations for Seagull Books. Translator Ottilie Mulzet referred to Polland’s inclusion in New Order as one of her “first big breaks.”

TIPS FOR OTHERS?

I hesitate to offer tips for would-be verse translators because there are many ways into this work. Some befriend writers and earn their personal blessing to be their authorized translators. Some work as academics and find it a natural fit to translate the same writers they study. Some opt to pay submission fees to have their work considered by editors. I’ve mostly just been lucky that people who had this kind of work to commission somehow came to know about me — through the grapevine or after seeing work someone else commissioned. As with most creative translation work, it’s all about networking and building a solid reputation. If you are interested in this type of work, I have no doubt that you too will find both joys and joyful challenges. ❒

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David Houston-Hill writes and translates lyrics, poetry, and journalism. His site is www.davidhill.biz