Samantha Schnee Translator Interview

BookBlast interviews Samantha Schnee, translator

Samantha Schnee, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born in Scotland and moved to the U.S. with my family at the age of four. We lived in Nebraska for several years before settling in Texas. I became an American citizen during my first year at university. I studied German and Spanish literature, spending time abroad in Berlin, Madrid, and Mainz. In the end, I majored in English to access the creative writing courses, writing a collection of short stories for my senior project.

By the time I graduated, I had immersed myself in literature for so long that I felt the need to do something completely different — so I went to work for a bank. I ended up in the Latin American group of an American bank, helping companies from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil access the U.S. markets. I loved the clients but not the work, which was incredibly demanding — I didn’t have time or energy to read a book for three years — so I left the industry for publishing.

I worked as Andrew Wylie’s assistant for a year, then helped Francis Coppola launch his literary magazine Zoetrope: All-Story. Eventually, I joined Words Without Borders, which published its first issues of writing from Iran, Iraq, and North Korea just six months after I began working there in 2003.

When you were growing up, what books had an impact on you?
It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I loved the Nancy Drew mystery series. I read every single one, some multiple times. I think what appealed to me was the girl power — these young women were daring and fearless in the pursuit of truth and justice.

The book I probably read the most was The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I was captivated by the character Ram Das, who would sneak across the rooftops to bring warmth and comfort to the little girl’s garret. It seemed utterly magical to me. I suppose I’m still rather fanciful.

Why do you translate?
Emigrating at a young age left a lasting impression on me — I never quite fit in anywhere. In the end, I became neither fully British nor fully American. My British relatives called us “The Yanks,” while in the U.S., kids would ask, “Why do you pronounce the ‘h’ in ‘what’? That sounds weird!”

From an early age, I was fascinated by cultural and linguistic differences. Translation allows me to bridge these gaps, moving between languages and cultures as a go-between.

Your advice to new translators just starting out?
Read, read, read — you must have a vast vocabulary in both your native and source languages. Language is a tool, and different modes of expression allow a translator to grasp tone, one of the most critical elements of a literary text. Tone is the author’s imprint, and a translator must be able to recreate it faithfully.

How did you kickstart your career as a translator?
I had no strategy at all. I was doing an MFA in Fiction at the New School while launching Words Without Borders. The founder, Alane Mason, asked me to look at a book by a Spanish author. I loved it, wrote a glowing report, and then she asked me to translate a sample. I enjoyed it so much that I asked if I could incorporate translation into my MFA thesis. My director agreed, and I was off.

How and why is the role of the translator important in the acquisitions process?
Translators often serve as intermediaries between authors and editors, advocating for books, arranging reviews, and even setting up events. Funding is also critical, as translation costs can be the single greatest expense in a book’s production. Countries that support literary translation, such as Germany and France, have an advantage over those that cannot. This creates a trade imbalance in which certain languages are more represented in English translation than others.

What are you most proud of translating?
I loved translating Landing because I deeply connected with its characters. Both the main characters experience shocking losses — one loses her parents in a car crash, and the other loses his wife to cancer. My mother died very suddenly, and I had tremendous empathy for the young girl in the book. The depiction of grief also made me reflect on what my father must have gone through after my mother passed.

What is your biggest failure?
I’m incredibly impatient, and my mind flits all over the place — except when I’m translating. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much.

What are you working on at the moment?
Carmen Boullosa’s latest novel, Anna’s Book. It imagines the novel Anna Karenina wrote for her son before she jumped in front of the train, set within another story about revolutionary-era Russia. I love translating Carmen’s work because it’s always unexpected.

Your views on book publishing and translation?
Most importantly, translators are writers. In many countries, major authors are also translators, but this isn’t as common in English-speaking regions. Translation sharpens writing skills and broadens horizons.

I’m skeptical that artificial intelligence will ever fully replace human translators—nuance, tone, and artistry require a human touch. While a translator may not be able to “make” a book, a poor translation can certainly break one. It must be terrifying for an author to entrust their work to another writer, hoping it remains faithful to the original.

Has the perception of translated books changed over time?
Since launching Words Without Borders in 2003, I’ve noticed a shift. As globalization accelerates, there’s greater curiosity about other cultures — but also rising xenophobia. Literature helps bridge this gap, fostering empathy and understanding.

Unfortunately, many media outlets today cater to niche audiences, reinforcing existing beliefs rather than promoting broader perspectives. Translation is my way of stepping outside my own community and exploring the world.

How has technology impacted book translation?
Technology has made translating easier and more efficient — online dictionaries and forums have been game-changers. We chose to make Words Without Borders a website to ensure global access to the writing we publish. The internet has helped niche literature find readers, but mainstream breakthrough remains rare.

Do you enjoy reading e-books?
I’m a Luddite. I love the physical experience of books — holding them, smelling them, turning the pages. Someone gave me a Kindle once, and it took me a year to realize I had lost it.

How involved are you in promoting the books you translate?
I try to support them however I can. Social media is a useful tool but also a bit silly. I’m not convinced it can make a significant impact on a book’s success — but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Who are the five people, living or dead, you’d invite to a party?
My mother’s father. He was a minister in the Church of Scotland and a linguist, but he was also a man of few words, so I never got to know him well.
My father’s father. I never met him — he died shortly after serving in World War II. His parents emigrated from modern-day Ukraine before World War I, narrowly avoiding the Holocaust.
Alexandre Dumas — The Count of Monte Cristo amazed me with its plot and characters.
My three sons — so they could meet their great-grandfathers.

What’s on your bedside table?
The Weather of Words by Mark Strand;
Before by Carmen Boullosa, translated by Peter Bush;
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson (for my book club);
A stack of Turkish short stories for Words Without Borders;
Hemingway’s Across the River and Into the Trees;
Edith Grossman’s translation of Don Quixote (next on my list).

Your favourite prose authors?
I love old masters like García Márquez and Tolstoy, as well as contemporaries like Arthur Golden and Haruki Murakami.

Your favourite poet?
I used to love reading poetry in Spanish and German. Now, my poetry reading is mostly limited to The New Yorker.

Your chief characteristic?
Complicatedness or determination.

Your chief fault?
Impatience or fancifulness.

Your heroes in real life?
My mother, my sister, and Grace Paley.

BUY Landing