A deep dive into the nature of translation from one of its most acclaimed practitioners   “Searls’s philosophy is ultimately one of freedom—to move beyond mere equivalence, to translate how a text communicates rather than simply what it says.”—Max Norman, New Yorker   Avoiding theoretical debates and clichéd metaphors, award‑winning translator Damion Searls has written a fresh, approachable, and convincing account of what translation really is and what translators actually do. As the translator of sixty books from multiple languages, Searls has spent decades grappling with words on the most granular level: nouns and verbs, accents on people’s names, rhymes, rhythm, “untranslatable” cultural nuances. Here, he connects a wealth of specific examples to larger philosophical issues of reading and perception. Translation, he argues, is fundamentally a way of reading—but reading is much more than taking in information, and translating is far from a mechanical process of converting one word to another. This sharp and inviting exploration of the theory and practice of translation is for anyone who has ever marveled at the beauty, force, and movement of language. “Searls gives neither an apology nor a theory nor a history but, rather, a ‘philosophy’ of translation . . . [and] Searls’s philosophy is ultimately one of freedom—to move beyond mere equivalence, to translate how a text communicates rather than simply what it says.”—Max Norman, New Yorker “A literary translator of astonishing range. . . . Searls is especially riveting when he walks us through the choices he has made as a translator.”—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Review of Books “An ode to close reading. . . . Without claiming that he set out to do so, Searls has written a philosophy of what, how, and why to read. . . . Searls shows that reading as a translator, or reading like a translator, is a method of reading very, very well.”—Lily Meyer, The Nation “Searls wears his academic research lightly, which makes his book a draw for theorists and practising translators alike. . . . When he turns inward to his own personal experience of literary translation and the dilemmas it throws up, [the book] really comes alive.”—Fiametta Rocco, Prospect “It is difficult to imagine a better introduction to the topic for the general reader. Buy it; read it.”—James Womack, PN Review “Searls speaks up for a holistic, imaginative, even inspired approach to translation.”—Ina Schabert, Translation and Literature “If you want the learned docent’s tour through the Contemporary House of Translation, you cannot go wrong with someone as experienced and talented as Searls.”— Los Angeles Review of Books “It’s a treat to learn how a translator of Searls’s caliber approaches his work. . . . This master class will enthrall anyone who’s ever wondered what happens during the translation process.”— Publishers Weekly “Searls [is] one of our best working translators.”— Literary Hub , “Most Anticipated Books of 2024” “[ The Philosophy of Translation ] might overwhelm were it not for Searls’s style—a colloquial, conversational manner that uses active voice, analogies, wit, and humor. . . . Searls is speaking to us, American readers, at a time our nation is changing demographically and linguistically. . . . Timely and important.”—Joan Baum, WSHU Public Radio/NPR “Searls offers a meditation on language, where the idioms of translation are figured through praxis―through exquisite examples of what translators do―and lays bare the stakes of reading, writing, and interpreting. . . . [A] triumph of a book.”―Citation, James Russell Lowell Prize, Modern Language Association “Astute. . . . Searls . . . [is] offering a new framework for reading works in translation, directly rethinking many of the old truisms of translation discourse.”—Johannes Göransson, On the Seawall Received honorable mention from the James Russell Lowell Prize, sponsored by the Modern Language Association “Damion Searls is one of the most erudite and original—and provocative—thinkers on one of today’s most important cultural subjects: translation. This book is vast, generous, charming, and profound, a brilliant meditation on how we read and what it means to move in and out of languages and language.”—Jennifer Croft   “Translators are priceless, and their task is often thankless. Now more than ever, readers who have been confused by Google Translate do not understand the project of translation. The Philosophy of Translation makes clear the mission of the translator, the amazing task of offering an extant work by constructing a new work. This book is open, honest and, most of all, smart; it makes clear that the act of translation is an act of creation. Remarkable.”—Percival Everett   “From a rich and unexpected array of sources ranging from Mayan etymology to the psychology of airplane pilots, Searls weaves a compelling case for translation as a creative act of individual human perception. L