Clamour and Chatter: Caryl Churchill on Language and Translation

Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee and translator Dikeni Dimopoulos engage in a written dialogue, starting from the translation of a literary work, exploring the process of transferring content from one language to another, and re-examining what language is and what it can do.

Language is always elusive: two dictionaries offer two different maps of the universe. Which one is correct, or are both wrong? The Good Story, presented in the form of a dialogue between Nobel laureate novelist J.M. Coetzee and renowned translator Dikeni Dimopoulos, delves into some of the most pressing linguistic questions that plague 21st-century writers and translators.

In this book, the two authors raise questions that we must answer as we try to understand contemporary society. They explore whether one can truly fall in love with an acquired language and examine why certain languages, such as Spanish, have inherent gender differences. They scrutinize the threat of a single language and ponder how we can resist the rampant, colonial-like spread of English worldwide. They question whether translators have a responsibility to eliminate language that is morally repugnant, misogynistic, or racist. And in exploring the existence of a perfect language, Coetzee also asks whether mathematics, as a language, can reveal the truth of all things.

Drawing on their decades of experience in linguistic creation, Coetzee and Dimopoulos delve into the role and task of the translator, and the meaning of language in relation to gender, identity, and even the perception of the world. The Good Story ultimately becomes a fascinating and accessible philosophical work, offering new insights into some of the most important linguistic issues of our time.