IreneMangion

Mangion’s initial forays into translation were born out of necessity. With her mother not speaking Maltese, the young Mangion stepped in to assist in sticky situations. This sparked her interest in translation and, coupled with her passion for reading, steered her towards studying languages at school.

Mangion is fluent in Maltese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, and translates primarily into English, French and Maltese. She pursued her studies at the University of Strasbourg in France and at the University of Mainz in Germany. She also holds an MA in Translation Studies from the University of Montpellier. She worked as a freelance and in-house translator in the UK, Spain, France and Belgium.

A pivotal moment in her career occurred during her first literary translation course, taught by an American professor who secured the class a book translation contract. While it would be several years before she entertained the idea of pursuing literary translation as a career, this experience proved to be enlightening and rewarding.

During the 2014 edition of the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, poet Norbert Bugeja, with whom she was collaborating on the English translation of his collection “Bliet”, introduced her to author Abdulrazak Gurnah, who in 2021 would receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Gurnah expressed profound admiration for translators and their role in facilitating the journey of stories. Such encounters with esteemed writers over the years contributed to fuel Mangion's passion and enthusiasm for translating.

Mangion translates both poetry and prose but she prefers the former. She enjoys engaging with rhythm, musicality, form and rhyme, drawn to the succinctness of the process which allows her to transition swiftly from one poem to another.

For Mangion, translating prose is more akin to composing a text. It presents its own set of challenges, such as attention to register, slang and direct speech.

Something else that appeals to Mangion is that the translation process allows for the emergence of the translator’s voice, albeit subtly. When possible, Mangion enjoys working in close collaboration with the author, believing this to yield the best results.

Mangion was involved in several projects such as the Rabat literary route and the short story project “Asking Youth”, both coordinated by HELA Foundation and featuring writers like Clare Azzopardi, Leanne Ellul, Adrian Grima and Glen Calleja. She has also translated poems showcased at various prestigious events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, the Vienna Literature Festival and the Festival Voix Vives of Sète in France. She participated in workshops and served on the jury for the Doreen Micallef National Poetry Contest in 2023.

In 2023, she also accompanied Norbert Bugeja to Paris for the launch of "Oublie qu’elle n’est pas là" ("Forget that she’s not here"), her French translation of Bugeja’s poetry collection “Insa li Mhijiex Hawn”, published in France and presented at the Marché de la poésie.