In specific, the Translator’s Thistle project hopes to call attention to a very bad habit of Italian newspapers, magazines, and online journalists: the consistent omission of translators’ names in reviews, essays, preview pieces, and other articles about translated books.

This problem is not unique to Italy, of course, but the Italian press seems particularly likely to “forget” translators. In a country in which two-thirds of trade books are translations, that’s odd.

But in a country in which translators earn less than their colleagues anywhere else in the European Union – and in which relationships with “take it or leave it” publishers are increasingly a struggle – it’s very nearly sinister.

As we said in March: This is Not an Oversight. It’s a Policy.

On April 30th, we’ll announce the winner of the April 2013 Translator’s Thistle. In the meantime, just to underscore the principle that this is an extremely widespread practice in Italy and not simply an occasional error, here are the nominees for the April Translator’s Thistle/Cardo del Traduttore.

• The newspaper, La Stampa, for its TUTTOLIBRI insert of March 23, 2013, a special section dedicated to new books. Its many pages reveal that John E. Williams evidently translated his own Butcher’s Crossing into Italian (article by Marco Malvaldi), Bill Clegg did the same for Ninety Days (article by Christian Fascella), and so on for Joseph Stiglitz (The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future, art. by Tonia Mastrobuoni), Alain Badiou (Plato’s Republic, art. by Maurizio Assalto), William Morris (How We Live and How We Might Live, art. by Bruno Ventavoli), Jane Austen (Lady Susan, art. by Marina Verna), Steve Berry (The Columbus Affair, art. by Fabio Pozzo), Michael Kumpfmüller (Die Herrlichkeit des Lebens, art. by Alessandra Iadicicco), Lauren Oliver (Delirium), and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Briefe und Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft). [tuttolibri@lastampa.it; @Tuttolibri_live]

• The magazine, Il Libraio (“The Bookseller”), available online (http://www.illibraio.it) as well as in Italian bookstores and in hard copy by subscription. Il Libraio is the promotional arm of the Mauri Spagnol Publishing Company and previews and puffs its own books. To our knowledge, the name of a translator has never appeared in Il Libraio. [info@illibraio.it; @illibraio]

• Giuseppina Manin, for her review of the Italian translation of Frank Maubert’s, Le Dernier Modèle, in the Corriere della Sera of April 19, 2013, p. 45 (http://nopeanuts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/genio-e-modella-eterna-passione.pdf). The name of the translator, A. Morpurgo, does not appear. [direttore@corriere.it, francesca.marzotto@rcs.it (Media Relations), @Corriereit, @corrieremilano, @DeBortoliF (Publisher Ferruccio de Bortoli), @Daniele_Manca (Ass't Publisher, Daniele Manca), @ggschiavi (Ass't Publisher, Giangiacomo Schiavi), @lucfontana (Corriere Milan, Luciano Fontana), @La_Lettura]

• Paolo Giordano, for his review of the Italian translation of Kevin Powers’ Yellow Birds, in the Corriere della Sera (http://tinyurl.com/bmnnq33), March 26, 2013, p. 32. The name of the translator, Matteo Colombo, does not appear. (Are you seeing any pattern here?) Giordano, a novelist himself, won an important Italian literary prize, and his The Solitude of Prime Numbers appeared in English in 2010. In other words, he ought to know better. (Note that the review of Giordano’s novel in the New York Times of March 11, 2010 (http://tinyurl.com/buywz8b) names his English translator: Shaun Whiteside. Hey Corriere, was that so hard?) [Paolo Giordano: info@paologiordano.it; Corriere della Sera: direttore@corriere.it, francesca.marzotto@rcs.it ((Media Relations), @Corriereit, @corrieremilano, @DeBortoliF (Publisher Ferruccio de Bortoli), @Daniele_Manca (Ass't Publisher, Daniele Manca), @ggschiavi (Ass't Publisher, Giangiacomo Schiavi), @lucfontana (Corriere Milan, Luciano Fontana), @La_Lettura]

• The Libreriamo.it blog (“A Social Book Magazine for the Promotion of Books and Reading”) of March 26, 2013, for reporting Giordano’s review of Yellow Birds but failing to do six seconds of research to find the translator’s name and remedy Giordano’s error (http://www.libreriamo.it/a/3681/sul-corriere-della-sera-di-oggi-paolo-giordano-presenta-yellow-birds-di-kevin-powers.aspx). Director: Saro Trovato. [redazione@libreriamo.it, @libreriamo, @sarotrovato1]

• The Facebook community page “Il Mestiere di Scrivere” (The Writer’s Craft) (https://www.facebook.com/ilmestierediscrivere) which publishes daily squibs by and about famous writers such as Jack Kerouac, Marguerite Yourcenar, José Saramago, and literally scores of others. None of these writers wrote in Italian, obviously, and yet the quotations on the “Mestiere” page never, ever cite the translator whose words they use. Page administrator: Francesco Izzo. [corsidiscritturacreativa@gmail.com, francesco.izzo1@facebook.com, francesco.izzo@facebook.com, @francescoizzo]
  

Somebody tell us more about this rare, scattered phenomenon….

For No Peanutistas, portions of two of the new Code’s twenty-three articles are cause for celebration:

Article 10. Duty of Competence

II. Translators shall work exclusively into their native language, the language of their native culture, or the language in which they are able to prove equivalent expertise.

Article 19. Equitable Compensation

I. Translators and interpreters must refrain from providing their services in exchange for compensation that is not commensurate with the quality of their work….
III. Translators and interpreters should avoid offering or accepting discounts or below-market rates which may represent a form of unfair competition with their colleagues.

(The full Codice di deontologia e di condotta is available on the AITI site.)

These new sections, adopted only this year, mark the first time that an Italian professional association of language professionals has officially codified two essential elements of a philosophy that No Peanuts! has heartily and publicly endorsed for more than three years:

• translating for pay into an acquired language is unprofessional; and
• accepting sub-market rates not only hurts the profession but directly harms colleagues.

Congratulations — and thanks — to AITI for this landmark step.

We look forward to similar action from other Italian professional groups such as ANITI (the Italian National Association of Translators and Interpreters), STradE (the Union of Italian Translators in Publishing), and SNS (the National Writers’ Union).

While we’re at it, how about a move in the same direction in the United States — the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT), the National Association for Interpretation, the largely do-nothing American Translators Association, and the many similar organizations whose codes of conduct remain extremely vague or entirely silent on these key points?

Rather foolishly, Ms. Flynn included No Peanuts! in the list of ccs for her email.

Is it possible that Lionbridge managers don’t want interpreters “across the pond” to know exactly what the company is up to in the United States?

That might be a special concern for Lionbridge given the similar disaster created in the UK just over a year ago when interpreters launched a petition and a boycott against another mega-translation agency, Applied Language Solutions, for its agreement to supply interpreters to the Ministry of Justice. (More information is here.)

As the interpreter wrote to the list:

As a cost-cutting measure, hiring only one interpreter for “full and complete” interpretation of EOIR hearings is short-sighted and self-defeating. Interpreters working alone while performing simultaneous interpreting cannot be expected to produce accurate work or ensure due process. The long-term costs of unequal access to justice for persons of limited English proficiency and in future appeals far surpass any amount saved by implementing this poorly conceived measure.

We concur, and we applaud the effort to make sure language professionals all over the world know what is at the heart of Lionbridge’s proposed agreement with the EOIR.

Solidarity among translators and interpreters, wherever they do business, lies at the heart of effective action.

Meanwhile, if Lionbridge is getting nervous enough to try to shut down the dissemination of information, interpreters are clearly doing something right.

From the March 29, 2013 Live Chat with Sheryl Sandberg on Facebook. Nope, she didn’t answer.

No Peanuts! turns three years old today. No, no. There’s no need for gifts.

Well, okay, if you insist. You could:

• Read the Statement of Principles and decide to become an Official Endorser.
• Use the New Translator Directory of Translators & Interpreters (TNT!) the next time you’re in need of a language professional.
• Follow No Peanuts! on Twitter (@No_Peanuts).
• Download and feature the No Peanuts! badge on your blog or website.
• Take an active part in our campaigns such as The Translator’s Thistle/Il Cardo del Traduttore or Do Something for Translators Today / Fa’ Una Cosa Oggi per i Traduttori
• Spread the word about the No Peanuts! Movement among your friends, clients, and professional associations you belong to.

Most of all, we’re grateful for the thousands of translators, interpreters, readers, and all-around smart people who support not just us but one another. In internet years, nearly a third of a decade is a long time. We’re still around thanks to you.

Don’t give up. Laugh. Resist. Respect. Sustain. Endorse. Do good work.

We’d like to thank all the BIG people …

First off, a thanks as wide as all outdoors to Enrico Porro and his blog, “Pazzo per Repubblica,” for standing with No Peanuts! / Un ringraziamento grosso così a “Pazzo per Repubblica”, il blog di Enrico Porro, per la solidarietà! You can follow Pazzo per Repubblica on Twitter, too / Si può seguire Pazzo per Repubblica anche su Twitter ~ @pazzoperrep.

If you read Italian, PpR’s “Perché Questo Blog?” is a must!

“Mi sono messo in contatto con tutti i giornalisti che scrivono sul giornale fondato da Scalfari ma quelli che mi hanno risposto sono davvero pochi. Che i giornalisti di Repubblica siano un filo snob?”

Enrico, we know the feeling!

It’s an Honor Just to be Nominated

Tell us who deserves to be the next Thistle of the Month! / Segnalaci un candidato per il prossimo Cardo del Mese!

Don’t Forget to Write

Have you written to the Repubblica to congratulate them for having beat the competition to win the March Translator’s Thistle? / Hai scritto a Repubblica per congratularsi con loro per la conquista del Cardo del Traduttore di marzo?

• e.mauro@repubblica.it, l.quagliata@repubblica.it, e.deaglio@repubblica.it, larepubblica@repubblica.it, rubrica.lettere@repubblica.it, segreteria_di_redazione@repubblica.it, segreteria_direzione@repubblica.it
• Twitter: @repubblicait @eziomauro @redazionerep (tweet modello: Complimenti  a Quagliata/Deaglio, vincitori del Cardo del Traduttore, marzo 2013 tinyurl.com/d6pw3nh #whotranslatedthat) / (suggested tweet: Congratulations Quagliata & Deaglio, winners of the Translator’s Thistle, March 2013 tinyurl.com/d6pw3nh #whotranslatedthat)

Questo non è un caso. È una politica.

Here’s the basic principle: When a newspaper, magazine, website, or other journalistic medium publishes an article about a translated book, the name of the translator should appear. Everywhere in the world, that’s courtesy and common sense. In Italy, it’s also the law.

And yet important Italian newspapers, magazines, and social networking sites routinely fail to name translators.

This is not just an oversight. It’s not an accident, a mishap, a one-off, a moment of inattention, or a slip up.

The practice has become a policy.

But don’t just take our word for it.

As a writer on the Authors&Translators blog put it recently, “Here in Italy a translator’s name is almost never mentioned — not in the newspapers, often not at authors’ readings, and not by all publishers and journalists.”

Or, as a member of a mailing list for translators working to/from English and Italian recently posted:

Editors typically excuse their omissions with such stock phrases as: “Usually we do include the translator’s name.” “It was just one of those things.” Or perhaps our favorite: “The translator’s name isn’t news.”

So just look at typical book reviews and features. The name of the author is news, the publisher’s name is news, the price of the book is news, and the number of pages in the book is news…. But the translator’s name is not news.

In the last few months, No Peanuts! has called your attention to the case of Giuliana Lupi, the Italian translator of Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open, whose name did not appear in articles published in Italy’s largest daily, La Repubblica. Earlier in March, La Repubblica did it again with the Italian publication of Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In. A major, three-page Sunday feature ignored the two women translators of Sandberg’s book. These instances can be added to scores if not hundreds of others over recent years involving La Repubblica.

This is not an oversight. This is a policy.

When translators are rendered invisible, their entire profession is undervalued. They also tend to be underpaid. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Italy, where literary translators are under assault by the Italian editorial industry through relentless downward pressure on rates.

Coincidence? We don’t think so. That’s why No Peanuts! is launching a new project: The Translator’s Thistle/Il Cardo del Traduttore.

Each month, we’ll award a Translator’s Thistle to the print or online source that has done the most to disrespect translators. No surprise: the winner for March 2013 is La Repubblica and, specifically, its Sunday-edition editor Livio Quagliata and its writer Enrico Deaglio for their March 10, 2013 translator-less Sunday feature on Lean In/Facciamoci Avanti.

Visibility = respect. Visibilità = rispetto.

Click on these links to learn how you can participate: 

• Il Cardo del Mese (marzo 2103) / Monthly Thistle (March 2013) - Livio Quagliata, Enrico Deaglio, La Repubblica
• Model Messages / Modelli di Messaggi
• Send a Thistle / Manda un Cardo

Ms. Sandberg and her book were the subject of a three-page spread in the “Culture” section of the March 10, 2013 La Repubblica, Italy’s largest newspaper. The article was signed Enrico Deaglio and included a prominent sidebar that featured: a picture of the cover, the title of the book, the name of the author, the name of the publisher, the name of the publisher’s imprint, the number of pages, the price, the release date, and the name of the writer of the introduction to the Italian edition.

The only thing missing was Ms. Sandberg’s shoe size.

That, and the name of Ms. Sandberg’s two Italian translators, Sara Crimi and Laura Tasso.

But today Mr. Quagliata writes that there was no reason for the translators’ names to appear because the March 10 feature “was an interview with Ms. Sandberg, not a book feature on the translation” (“quella di Deaglio era un’intervista alla signora Sandberg e non un’anticipazione del libro tradotto dall’inglese“).

And here we thought we might actually receive a reasonable response from La Repubblica‘s editors.

Last October, No Peanuts! told you about Giuliana Lupi, the Italian translator of Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open, whose publication in Italy was heralded by La Repubblica as “one of the year’s literary milestones.” But her name did not appear in features and other articles that La Repubblica published.

And now they’ve done it again. 

Tell Mr. Quagliata and La Repubblica that they’re wrong. Tell them that providing all the details of a book’s publication EXCEPT the name of the translator is deliberate sabotage.

Remind them that Ms. Sandberg’s book is about the value of women’s work and the importance of women’s visibility in the workplace. Rendering translators invisible — rendering the women translators of a book like Lean In invisible — is the kind of irony a newspaper editor might be expected to grasp.

We’ve asked nicely. Now we’re demanding a change in La Repubblica’s official editorial policy. It’s not only the decent thing to do, it’s Italian law.

La Repubblica is Disrespectful, Discriminatory, and Illegal: Sandberg’s Translators Are Women & They Work!

Write to the editors of La Repubblica: e.deaglio@repubblica.it; ezio.mauro.3@facebook.com; ezio-mauro@facebook.com; l.quagliata@repubblica.it; larepubblica@repubblica.it; rubrica.lettere@repubblica.it; segreteria_di_redazione@repubblica.it; segreteria_direzione@repubblica.it; v.zucconi@gmail.com; vittorio.zucconi.3@facebook.com; Vittorio-Zucconi@facebook.com

A sample letter is here: Do Something for Translators Today / Fa’ Una Cosa Oggi per i Traduttori

Do Something for Translators Today / Fa’ Una Cosa Oggi per i Traduttori

_____________________________

ezio.mauro.3@facebook.com; ezio-mauro@facebook.com; l.quagliata@repubblica.it; v.zucconi@gmail.com; vittorio.zucconi.3@facebook.com; Vittorio-Zucconi@facebook.com; e.deaglio@repubblica.it; larepubblica@repubblica.it; rubrica.lettere@repubblica.it; segreteria_di_redazione@repubblica.it; segreteria_direzione@repubblica.it 

Gentile Direttore Mauro, Direttore Zucconi, e Caporedattore Quagliata:

Ci troviamo davanti all’ennesimo caso: il servizio di Enrico Deaglio del 10 marzo sul nuovo libro di Sheryl Sandberg, Facciamoci Avanti: tre pagine, fior di foto, le due traduttrici invisibili.

In effetti, non sarebbe esagerato dire che La Repubblica pratica scientemente e sistematicamente l’omissione del nome dei traduttori da articoli e recensioni riguardanti libri stranieri.

Perciò, vi scrivo per chiedere un semplice sì o no: È giusto ritenere che la politica ufficiale della redazione de La Repubblica sia precisamente questa?

Vi sarei grato se voleste rispondere a questa domanda.

Molti saluti,
[Il tuo nome]

[Volendo, segnala anche questo nella chiusura della tua lettera: / http://nopeanuts.wordpress.com/resistance/sandberg_it/
"Una lettera aperta a Sheryl Sandberg (Caso: La Repubblica e Le Traduttrici Invisibili)"]

___________________________________________________________

ezio.mauro.3@facebook.com; ezio-mauro@facebook.com; l.quagliata@repubblica.it; v.zucconi@gmail.com; vittorio.zucconi.3@facebook.com; Vittorio-Zucconi@facebook.com; e.deaglio@repubblica.it; larepubblica@repubblica.it; rubrica.lettere@repubblica.it; segreteria_di_redazione@repubblica.it; segreteria_direzione@repubblica.it

Dear Mr. Mauro, Mr. Zucconi, and Mr. Quagliata :

It has happened yet again: Enrico Deaglio’s article of 10 March on the release of the Italian translation of Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In: a three-page spread, photos galore, the book’s two translators missing in action.

In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that La Repubblica intentionally and systematically omits translators’ names from articles, reviews, and features that discuss books published in translation.

I am, therefore, writing to ask you for a simple yes or no: Am I justified in believing that such omissions are the official editorial policy of La Repubblica?

I would be most grateful for your response.

Sincerely yours,
[Your name]

[ If you’d like, mention this in the closing of your letter as well: http://nopeanuts.wordpress.com/resistance/sandberg_it/
"Una lettera aperta a Sheryl Sandberg (Caso: La Repubblica e Le Traduttrici Invisibili)"]