Prize-winning translator John E. Woods has brought great German literature to English speakers for more than 30 years. The Local's series "Making it in Germany" sat down with him to discuss what he calls a dangerous and lonely task.
Literary translators don’t get much respect. They fight to get their names on book jackets and often scrape by on meagre fees that bitterly belie their labour of love.
But not John E. Woods. For more than three decades, the Indianapolis-born translator has not only made it possible for English speakers to read some of Germany’s greatest works of fiction, he’s managed to make a living and a name for himself in what is usually an anonymous endeavour.
Though he’s had plenty of success, Woods says his is a lonely profession that shouldn’t even exist.
