1- “Translation is not just about transposing words from one language to another. But transplanting a feeling, a way of seeing the world, from one vocabulary of experience to another. I think of the verb, to transplant. A seedling from soil to soil. But also an organ from body to body. The procedure must be as delicate, as cognizant of the original conditions of creation in order to nurture and ensure a continuation of life.”
I find this passage beautiful because it captures how language carries not only meaning but emotion, history, and identity. Also, I like how it connects language to something living, fragile, and deeply human. It reminds me that words are not just tools, but a very special and meaningful way of communicating and connecting with others.

2- “In the last few months, I’ve moved houses no less than 35 times. I have been threatened, beaten, strip-searched, thrown in prison, tortured and made to watch as my mother knelt weeping at the dirty feet of tribal leaders to beg for any information about my kidnapped father.”
This passage tells a very deep and painful truth about war, especially for women who must carry endless grief while trying to keep their families alive. It reveals how suffering doesn’t end with one tragedy but continues to echo through every loss, every home destroyed, every silence left behind.It reminds me that behind every war are countless victims who have lived through real tragedy mothers, daughters, and wives enduring unimaginable loss yet still finding ways to survive. Even in unbearable circumstances, they somehow continue to live and hold on to hope.

3- Questions:

Is it easy to talk about those painful life experiences in detail and even feel comfortable doing so, without having to relive that pain again when writing it?

How can translators ensure they represent another person’s pain truthfully without changing or softening it through their own emotions or biases?

Can writing or translating traumatic experiences help people heal, or does it risk deepening the pain by reliving it?