Translators Weigh In on the Amanda Gorman Controversy - Asymptote Blog

Journalist and spoken-word artist Zaire Krieger tweeted, "How salty on a level from one to the Dead Sea am I going to sound when I say that tons of female spoken word artists of color (Babs Gons, Lisette Maneza etc.) could have done this better?" Her post led to a response from Meulenhoff, the book's Dutch publisher. The statement pointed out that both Gorman and Rijneveld were young, celebrated writers and announced that they would employ sensitivity readers for the translation. For many, this last detail implied that Rijneveld, who has never translated a book, was unqualified for the job. In an opinion piece for the Netherlands' national newspaper, de Volkskrant, activist Janice Deul called the choice "incomprehensible." She wondered why Meulenhoff, the publisher, hadn't chosen a translator who was more like Gorman: a "spoken-word artist, young, female and unapologetically Black." She characterized the choice of a white, nonbinary translator as a missed opportunity.