REC#1: 5 Women in Translation Works You Should Definitely Read

A mix of everything in between if you're looking for translated literatures for WIT month or simply, to just to delve into the world of translated literatures written by women from different countries

Dec 11, 2024

Women in Translation month started as a bookish challenge in the book community - which in turn - became into a movement of its own. Besides reading and curating books that are written by women, we also celebrate translators from all over the world.

To me, its a movement that speaks of solidarity and a sense of bringing light to the voices of women all around the world to be heard and seen.

I mainly get questions on How do I curate my readings for the particular month and is it specific to female translators only?

To answer both questions, I curate my readings through the books that I have found mostly through friends and authors that I have read before, and I do create two categories for the curation : (a) Works by Female Authors and Female Translators (b) Works by Female Authors with Male Translators. Its very important to note to everyone that each translator must be credited as par with the author because, without their translations, we won’t be able to access some really wonderful works across the globe.

As we aim to diversify our reads more, I have tried my best to include works from various countries. These are some of the books that I felt suited the theme of the month the most as it handles various topics regarding womenhood, girlhood - of the rage, hardships and joyful moments - of simply being a woman.

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

Translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Country: Japan