SH: From the requirements of the text, or the structure.
SU: Does this apply to all translators?
SH: No. There is no translation that is 100 percent perfect. Rather, there is a set of ethics for translation. For example:
Nabil al-Huffar is among the most important translators, both in Syria and abroad. He translates from German to Arabic. His translations have, in essence, the “perspective of distance,” a beautiful phrase that I borrow from a wondering poet to describe Nabil’s moral and aesthetic expressiveness.
Finally, I read a text by Amin Maalouf in the original language and I noticed the difference: The translated text doesn’t have the same degree of beauty and luster as the original.
Maybe we are lucky to have translators with good knowledge of language, transmission, culture and interaction with others.
SU: Do you feel any disappointment at the current cultural scene in Syria?
SH: Of course. What can you expect amid this reality we’re living through?
SU: I apologize for this next question, but I must ask: Just as you preserved your late father’s mission of keeping Dar Atlas going, is there someone who will keep that same mission going when you’re gone? What is the eventual fate of Dar Atlas?
SH: There is nobody, and no heir. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.
There are several options. I could hand over the publishing house to a competent and honest person so that it stays afloat. However, there’s nobody I can hand it to from my own family, as my sister and I are both unmarried. I have a brother, but he’s not involved in Dar Atlas at all. The whole rest of the family is in the diaspora, given that we are of Palestinian origin.
Yes, this issue bothers me, and I’m thinking of an alternative plan. I don’t know yet. I haven’t yet started the process of handing over Dar Atlas to anyone, as I’m still able to manage everything and follow through on projects.