Indonesia
Comfortable Career as Book Translator
Only 10 years old, Fairuza Hanun Razak has earn trust to translate several books of both kids and adult. She takes time to finish the translating jobs with quite tight deadline. Superkids Indonesia exclusively comes to meet Hanun at her parents’ home in Surabaya. Experience of the oldest of three inspires us all in taking advantage to foreign language skills, Superkids.
Hi, Fairuza Hanun.
Halo. Hanun, please.
Okay. How do you speak English that fluent, Hanun?
Maybe because i used to it.. When i was two years old, i liked watching kids English program on cable TV. Mom says my favorite show was Disney Channel. We also speak English for daily. I never buy Indonesian book.
Wow, so all that without taking course class?
Oh, sure i take English courses too. I have been joining Kelt since five years old. Mom chooses the place because the instructors are all native speakers. Talk with them a lot and learn straight from them, automatically lead to more fluent English.
What’s the story that a publisher finds out about your English and offers a job as translator?
My aunt Sofie Beatrix is a writer agent. She is no stranger for many publishers. One day they had a difficulty to transform a tape recorder interview with a transgender Sam Brodie, an English reality show star “Big Brother”. The interview was in English and they need it for the pre biography book. And aunt Sofie asked me to do it.
Wow, that’s awesome…
Hehe…The interview was released before the book “Sam, Samantha and Me” was published by Gramedia in November 2013. The writers were aunt Sofie and Sam Brodie himself.
How long is usually the deadline from publisher?
Short. When working in module of Little Writer Club (KPC), I was only given three days to translate 30 pages to English. Also when translating the script of “Amazing Baluran” photo book, i was only given very small amount of time.
What is the latest book you do?
“Seni Karya Ananda: Pantang Menyerah!”. The writer is Amirullah Izzan Gafara. When he wrote that story, he was 10 years old, just like my ages now. He came to me with the book. It’s a bilingual, bahasa and English. When i read it, i found so many mistakes in the English version. I corrected it one by one. Eventually the book was revised and republished with my version of English.
Why don’t just make your own book?
There’s not many publisher interested in releasing non-fiction kids book. Actually i have written 17 English pages abut cat. Yes, cat. Sort of mini encyclopedia of cats from other countries. The thing is that the publisher wants it in bilingual. So it must have the bahasa along.
So?
Translating into bahasa Indonesia? Well…don’t feel like it, yet. It’s shouldn’t need two languages, just English. I’m currently looking for a publisher that is interested to release it in English only, like the one i have made.
What do you do with the translating salary?
I save it. Even that i just do it for fun and most of the time they don’t put my name on, it’s quite profitable. I get to buy piano with the money, still need mom to add some, though..haha!
Great job, Hanun. Good luck with the book.
Amien, thank you.
BIOFACT
Name: Fairuza Hanun Razak
Birth: Surabaya, December 22nd, 2003
School: Homeschooling
Parents: Nurdin Razak – Maylia Erna Sutarto
Hobby: Drawing, reading, writing fanfictions and non fictions
HAFIDA INDRAWATI
PHOTOS: HAFIDA INDRAWATI
