The Linguist

30 The Linguist Vol/64 No/3 2025 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist REVIEWS mimics the way children acquire their first language – through association and repetition – but this approach may not suit learners who prefer explicit grammar instruction or fast-track translation drills. Which app to choose? Each app brings something different to the table. Busuu is optimal for social, interactive and structured learners; Pimsleur is great for auditory and verbal learners; and Rosetta Stone works best for visual and contextual learners. We can enjoy a variety of features, such as videos with native speakers, game- like lessons that keep you hooked, immersive dialogues that mimic real life, and audio methods that train your ear and memory. For linguists, translators and teachers, these tools are powerful allies – but like any resource, they work best when paired with real conversations, classroom interaction or hands-on practice. Your in-person learning experiences may also impact your choice, as you may look for a digital platform that best complements your human interactions and fills any gaps. No app is a magic solution. The smartest path to language mastery is a blended one, combining the convenience of digital learning with the unpredictability and richness of real-life communication. Ultimately, learning a language isn't just about useful new skills – it's also a proven way to sharpen the mind, build resilience and enhance well-being. Anna Rioland MCIL CL is a localisation expert and foreign languages tutor at City Lit college, London, with a passion for languages and technology. Translators on Translation: Portraits of the art Kelly Washbourne Translators on Translation: Portraits of the art is a collection of essays on writers and translators mostly working in the second half of the 20th century. The term 'portraits' is used judiciously, since each chapter provides us with a well-crafted outline of a specific practitioner, including details of their background, literary output and opinions. The book takes a commendably broad approach in terms of the languages translated and the literary materials involved, as well as in relation to the subjects' own biographies. Some, like Vladimir Nabokov or Seamus Heaney, are among the great literary figures of the last century, while others will only be familiar to assiduous translation scholars. There are also notable contrasts in the amount of creative effort each of them devoted to translation. Characters like the above-mentioned Nabokov and Heaney, along with the novelist Ursula Le Guin and the poet William Carlos Williams, logically spent less time on translation than on their own literary output, while others (the celebrated Anthea Bell among them) were full-time translators. We can thank the editor, Kelly Washbourne, for finding space to discuss some of this field's most interesting personalities. These include the groundbreaking African American writer Langston Hughes, whose translations covered works by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca; and the sinologist David Tod Roy, born in Nanjing in 1933, who spent 30 years translating a single work (The Plum in the Golden Vase) from 17th-century Chinese to English. As might be expected, this group of brilliant and often headstrong characters frequently failed to see eye to eye on what constitutes good translation practice. Anthea Bell, for instance, defended the translator's 'invisibility' while Vladimir Nabokov advocated just the opposite. For her part, Ursula Le Guin happily flouted the dictum that one should never translate from other people's translations, producing a widely admired English version of the classic Tao Te Ching knowing hardly a word of Chinese. Such contrasting views highlight the complexity of translation as both an art form and an intellectual pursuit, and contribute to the vibrancy and richness of the book as a whole. It is no exaggeration to say that Translators on Translation is an essential read for anyone interested in the theory and practice of literary translation. Ross Smith MCIL CL Routledge, 2024, 250 pp; ISBN 9781032845463 Paperback £36.99 "…The role of a translator is sacred, somewhere between conspirator and midwife." There is an inherent wisdom to this description of the translator's duty, which acts Jeanne Arielle Burgdorf Moist Books 2025, 246 pp; ISBN 9781913430191 Paperback £12 © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

• Cover