What happens to Jamie Oliver in translation?

Nick Tanner gave our third successful Network Evening Drinks talk on 19th August, with a theme based on his professional translation work. He gave us an entertaining assessment of how German and Dutch translators dealt with the challenges of capturing Jamie Oliver’s individual style of recipes for their national markets.

Jamie’s cookery books are popular in Germany but have inevitably been translated in a more neutral way, ignoring his very individual personality and style, especially his freedom in advising on ingredients and quantities, while Germans in particular prefer specific instructions.

Typical Jamie turns of phrase such as ‘loads of’, ‘a nice handful’ or ‘a little splash’ are in a very different style from Delia Smith and German cookery book writers. His books sell well in mainland Europe, but with interesting stylistic changes and loss of his quirky personality.
Lively questions and conversation followed in the Zoom meeting. Please contact Gill Wareing if you would like a copy of Nick Tanner’s presentation slides.

Our next NED Talk will be on Wednesday 14th October when Jane Bain will give a talk entitled: ‘The Owls’ Story – a glimpse into the life of a family of tawnies’. For details, please see the Events section of our website at https://www.research-network.org.uk/events/current-events/