“After all, the Latin word translatio means ‘to carry across’. Translation involves a spatial dimension - a literal transportation of texts across conquered territory, words delivered like spices from an alien land. Words mean something quite different when they journey from the palaces of Rome to the tearooms of today’s Britain.”

im sobbing on the floor I LOVE LANGUAGES I LOVE THIS BOOK

admittedly, it’s getting a bit too repetitive now

“He buried his past life, not because it was terrible but because abandoning it was the only way to survive.”

Wow. Having worked closely with folks who left their country of origin, this hit so hard!

« Ever since his arrival in London, Robin had tried to keep his head down and assimilate, to play down his otherness. He thought the more unremarkable he seemed, the less attention he would draw. But Ramy, who had no choice but to stand out, had decided he might as well dazzle.”

💔

Hi! If you are someone who usually skips introductions or authors notes, I would say this one is worth a read. It is one of my favourites! The author, at the end of the book, explains the reason why he chose to tell this story and talks shortly about some themes!

uuuh im almost halfway and nothing happened? 😭 except a very useless chapter centered entirely on being mean to a woman idk