An Interview with Ana Lis Salotti, Spanish translator of The Narrow Edge, the award-winning book by Deborah Cramer, under the Spanish title Volando a orillas del mar: El viaje épico de un ave playera que une continentes.
Deborah Cramer’s book The Narrow Edge follows the epic annual journey of the Red Knot, as it migrates from the “end of the earth” in Tierra del Fuego all the way to the tundra of the Canadian Arctic. The story reveals how the lives of humans, Red Knots, and horseshoe crabs are inextricably linked, and shares the inspiring efforts of many people across the Americas who are working to protect this threatened shorebird species. Recently published in Spanish by Vázquez Mazzini Editores in Buenos Aires, the story can now reach an audience across Latin America. WHSRN’s Maina Handmaker spoke with the book’s translator Ana Lis Salotti, who reflects on her newfound passion for shorebirds, and the power of translation to inspire international participation in the efforts to protect them.
Maina Handmaker: What did you know about shorebirds before you translated The Narrow Edge?
Ana Lis Salotti: I knew very little about shorebirds when I started to read and translate The Narrow Edge. But I did know a lot about seabirds, their conservation and the conservation of other marine species like fish, marine mammals, krill and whales. By the time I began translating this wonderful book, I had worked as a freelance translator for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS), and the Antarctic Environments Portal. While translating for these organizations, I had to read and research a lot about marine biology, fishing and conservation, sustainability and marine resources, and many related topics. This research was essential for the documents I had to translate, because these intergovernmental organizations are made up of scientists and other experts, and I had to deal with concepts that were almost always very technical. My immersion in these marine subjects gave me a strong foundation to research some of the main themes of The Narrow Edge: shorebirds, their biology and environment, and the global efforts to protect them.
The original English cover of The Narrow Edge, published by Yale University Press, and the new Spanish edition: Volando a orillas del mar: El viaje épico de un ave playera que une continentes, published by Vázquez Mazzini Editores in Buenos Aires.
MH: You live in California, right? How did working on this project change how you experience the coast or visit the beach?
AS: Yes, I now live in California, but I lived in New York for five years, which was where I began to work on this project. Understanding more about the diverse and important topics touched on in The Narrow Edge definitely changed my view of shorebirds and birds in general, but above all it changed my attitude about their conservation and towards the many people and organizations around the world that are working to protect them. Because of the book, I bought several bird guides and other books about conservation, I started following scientists and organizations dedicated to species conservation, and I talk about the relevance of these birds to every person I find that is interested in talking about The Narrow Edge. I have always been very aware of the footprint we human beings leave on the planet, and I have tried to do my part. Even so, after being so absorbed in the translation of this book, I think my dedication, as an ordinary person, to protecting beaches and shorebirds has increased. Every chance I get, I birdwatch; I go to talks and read about bird conservation, and try to share my passion with anyone interested, so they too feel how important it is to protect shorebirds and their habitats.
MH: How was this translation project different from others you have worked on in the past?
AS: I found three main differences between this project and any other I had done in the past: 1) that I was working alongside Deborah Cramer, the author; 2) that I was trying to be true to Deborah’s writing style; and 3) the fact that there were several scientific reviewers that left their mark on the final version. First of all, getting to work so closely with Deborah gave the book a new dimension. We had very long phone conversations and email exchanges where we decided on various stylistic, scientific, terminological, and strategic issues. Of all of these, the one that required the most time and dedication was the question of what to call each shorebird species in Spanish, in a book meant for the general public throughout Latin America – as these birds have different names in each country they visit during their annual migration. Second of all, Deborah has a unique writing style that I tried to capture. It often feels like rolling waves landing on the beach: she develops concepts gradually, builds them up and gives them strength from within, with depth. She rolls out her writing slowly but powerfully, carrying the same depth from the beginning, leaving readers stirred but also with a feeling of hope and peace. It’s similar to the feeling a scientist must have observing birds on the immense beaches of Patagonia, or what ordinary people feel when we think about the delicate balance between shorebirds’ epic migrations and all the habitats they depend on. Thirdly, working with several scientific reviewers who read the working drafts of each chapter and gave their perspectives (including Rob Clay, Director of the WHSRN Executive Office) gave the Spanish translation the scientific rigor that the original book deserves. But each reviewer contributed different suggestions, from the viewpoint of their different scientific specialties. My challenge here was to harmonize them and incorporate them without losing sight of the reader, Deborah’s style, and a feeling of cohesiveness throughout the story.
Deborah Cramer (left) and Ana Lis Salotti (right) when they first met in 2017, after a talk Deborah gave about The Narrow Edge at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Long Island, New York. Photo courtesy of Ana Lis Salotti.
MH: What do you see as the role of translation in biodiversity conservation?
AS: I believe that translation plays a really important role. Any effort to conserve biodiversity is more effective if it is inclusive of all countries and people involved. Not all of us can read in more than one language. And more importantly, not all of us are going to feel called to change our habits to preserve a species or protect a habitat unless we’re spoken to in our own language. And so translating, and translating well, becomes essential. No longer with the goal of simply conveying the same message, but conveying the same feeling – the same passion for the mission to protect the planet.
MH: WHSRN’s mission is to conserve shorebirds and their habitat through a network of key sites across the Americas. What lessons did you learn translating The Narrow Edge that you think could be applied to WHSRN’s work?
AS: A big part of translating this work required getting to know firsthand the characters of this story and their conservation efforts along the flyway. This made me realize the value of telling stories if you want to change people’s attitude towards caring for species and their habitats. I think WHSRN can take advantage of the power that masterfully told stories can have to inspire change. As Cramer does in her book, these stories can convince people of the important role that shorebirds play in our well-being and that of the planet. At some point while I was translating The Narrow Edge, a quote attributed to Nelson Mandela came to mind: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” I believe that WHSRN should continue providing information – especially stories and visual narratives – in the native languages of its partners whenever possible, and do it from the heart. Translation, well understood and well practiced, is fundamental to achieving this.
Ana Lis Salotti gives a presentation about the process of translating The Narrow Edge at the December 2018 General Meeting of the Northern California Translator’s Association. Photos courtesy of Ana Lis Salotti.
MH: Of all the places that the rufa Red Knot stops in The Narrow Edge, which would you most like to visit, and why?
AS: I would love to visit Delaware Bay and see the huge number of shorebirds that gather to eat horseshoe crab eggs. I would also like to return to San Antonia Oeste, Argentina. I was in Las Grutas, a nearby coastal town, more than ten years ago. Back then, I didn’t know much about seabirds or shorebirds, but I felt captivated by the nature and landscapes there. I would like to return to see how having translated The Narrow Edge may have changed my appreciation and impression of the place. For the better, I’m sure!
MH: Who do you most hope will read Volando a orillas del mar?
AS: I hope many people enjoy reading the Spanish version of The Narrow Edge, but most of all I hope people that don’t necessarily have a great interest in shorebirds read it and feel called to take care of these species in their own places. I also hope teenagers and young people read it, so that they can become the next generation of environmental stewards for shorebirds. I hope they can take everything that The Narrow Edge teaches them into their homes and communities, and share what they learned with their family and friends. I hope reading it inspires some of them to become birdwatchers too!
A rufa Red Knot digs in for a meal of horseshoe crab eggs on the coast of South Carolina, one of the many sites highlighted in The Narrow Edge as a crucial stopover for migrating Red Knots. Photo: Maina Handmaker.
MH: What message would you like to give to readers of the Spanish translation of the book?
AS: Read and let yourself be moved by this story. Take a part of the book that resonates in your heart and go out to spread that feeling to others who might not know anything about birds, shorebirds, or conservation, but who enjoy the beach and the ocean. This story matters to all of us.
MH: Is there anything else you would like to share?
AS: I’d like to express thanks for all the work that WHSRN does, and thank you for giving me this space to contribute my small grain of sand from my viewpoint as the Spanish translator of The Narrow Edge by Deborah Cramer.
To purchase your copy of
Volando a las orillas del mar:
In South America: buy directly from Vázquez Mazzini Editores. Free shipping within Argentina.
In the United States: Buteo Books in Arlington, Virginia is distributing Volando in the United States. Write to customerservice@buteobooks.com or call 800-722-2460 to inquire about purchasing a copy.
Cover Photo: A flock of rufa Red Knots in their distinctive rust-colored breeding plumage. Photo: Maina Handmaker.
