Most of the material we get to translate is pretty dry stuff: reports, contracts, lawsuits, manuals and so on. The language is usually formal. But occasionally there is something that can quicken a translator’s pulse.
We were asked to translate a book From French to English, German, Italian and Spanish, as part of a project led by the French organization AfVT. Entitled ‘A Survivor’s Chronicle’, it was a diary written by Catherine, a young woman who had been caught up in a terrorist attack that had left many dead and wounded. She had survived without physical injury, but suffered serious PTSD. She wrote the book to help overcome the affliction.
The book is illustrated with her own drawings. They are wonderfully expressive and allow a punchy, minimal text. The language is direct and colloquial – French as spoken by the youth of Paris. Despite the subject, it is full of terrific humour. There are powerful phrases and cultural references, things a translator has to research carefully to find the best equivalents.
The story takes you from the event itself through all the stages of relief, denial, surprise, recognition, understanding and hard therapeutic work. What appears to be a passing disturbance turns out to be PTSD with debilitating long-term effects.
She is unable to work. Small demands become insurmountable barriers. Catherine suffers from forgetfulness, anxiety and wildly fluctuating moods. People’s mundane problems become irritating, isolating her from colleagues. Nightmares and hypersensitivity take over, the sound of a road drill fills her with terror. People don’t know how to relate to her.
She faces a struggle with overloaded health services, who mis- under- and over-interpret her condition. The suggested medical treatments seem unacceptable. Her insurance provider is unhelpful as she has no visible injury, she falls into no neat category.
Eventually she accepts the need for treatment. The mutual support of other survivors also helps her. Slowly, she regains the ability to function in society. But while diminished, the “weight” Catherine carries will never fully leave her.
Like most people, I had a theoretical knowledge of PTSD. This book brought to life how it must feel to be trapped under the weight of such an experience. It’s genuine, informative and what’s more it’s funny and entertaining.
It’s published in French: Chroniques d’une survivante by Catherine Bertrand, Éditions de la Martinière. She hasn’t found a publisher for the other languages yet, but she sells it herself on Amazon at the following links. A share of the profit goes to AfVT.
Buy it, it’s great!
Links:
Italian is expected next year.
All illustrations ©Catherine Bertrand 2024