Docendo, my Finnish publisher asked if I would be willing to
translate my own book to Finnish.
‘It would be published early next year (2018)’, they said.
I was really hesitant to do it.
‘You could work on it and improve on it’, the editor
suggested. ‘Some chapters could be extended and so on. It would be a new extended
edition, just for Finland’.
So, I got excited about this possibility, but was still very
uncertain to begin on my own.
‘I need a good editor’, I counted. ‘Well, you have one, right here’, the editor said.
What a relief! Finally, I could rely on someone to brush up my
spelling and grammar. If you have been corrected all your life, it truly leaves
you with low self-confidence. But I am determined to help others recover from
the trauma of fraud, especially romance scams, so I had to overcome my fear.
Despite that, my mind was somehow permeated with dread. How
could I cope? Would it take ages and ages to fit my two language boxed side by
side, in my head? I saw my dyslexia as a barrier, once again, in accomplishing
the task. It seemed like an endless highway of doubts and anxieties. I was
depressed – again. A low moment. Luckily, my ex-husband came to my rescue.
‘I will help you’, he said through Skype from other side of
the world.
I knew his language skills were perfect. I am so grateful. And
so we have been working on it for about two months now and getting better at
it.
Skype is such a great working tool, I have learned. It
enables you to really be in the same room with your team despite the distance
of half the world. And translating something I had worked really hard on my
second language to my mother’s tongue has given me a whole new perspective to
my own writing. I am even getting to appreciate my own thinking patterns.
Sometimes I go like WoW! Did I really write that? And there are new words I
have learned, as well.
Language is such a wonderful thing. There are words that are
trendy, and translations that seem to get lost between languages. Sometimes
there are excitement with finding new words that have been created and learning
about them give you some delighted moments in time. You can really appreciate
the meaning behind the words. And your understanding had expanded a bit, once
again. Besides, you can learn a lot about yourself and about the subject matter
at hand. Mine is fraud, by the way.
The book I am translating is called Love on the Line. How to Recover from Romance Scams Gracefully and
without Victimisation, if you haven’t read my blogs before. I have gotten a
new kind of depth to my writing and I am understanding myself better now. My
ex, there on the other side of the world is really supportive and without his
skills and language competency I would be in trouble in remembering every
expression, after living in Australia for the last twenty odd years. How great
is it to remember! And how great is it to finally get an equivalent meaning to
a word like empowerment. (It is voimaantuminen, by the way). I had never even
really realised that before a couple of years ago, there was not a word for
this expression. Now, it is used very often in many situations. Some have even
commented that they are sick of it. It is such a positive word and used too
often, they complain. Does it go with the more downtrodden Finnish mind set? I
feel it does, and I am delighted to finally be able to freely use it.
Other things I have learned is that now, after two years
from writing my first book, I am still feeling the same. But I have evolved. My
recovery has truly moved to another level. I am eagerly writing my second book Love on the Line 2. How to Empower Yourself
after Recovery from Trauma. And it is coming along very well. I am so very excited
about it as well. And extending some chapters for my Finnish readers feels like
this book is evolving with me. Now I know much more. Now I have contacts and a
whole community that is working for the same cause. I am a member of trauma and
fraud prevention support groups and know other people who are there and that
helps, not only me but others as well. Great development!
I am trying to keep my Website up to date with information.
Sometimes it is lacking behinds some, due to my enthusiasm to get these books
on the go by the deadlines I have. So, thanks for being patient with me and
supportive and everything. Especially I am thanking my ex for he is a great
fellow and we are having such fun doing the translation.
What I am saying is: Watch this space! More will be coming,
soon.
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