International Translation Day: some of my translations

September 30, 2025 / Sue Burke / 3 Comments

September 30 is International Translation Day, a celebration recognized by the United Nations, which is particularly fond of translators. It’s the feast day of St. Jerome, the patron saint of translators, known for his translation of the Bible into Latin from Greek.

Here’s a list of my translations for the past ten years, mostly science fiction and fantasy along with a few other interesting works.

Online: read for free

“Proxima One” by Caryanna Reuven — Short story. A machine intelligence called Proxima One sends probes into the galaxy on long journeys filled with waiting and yearning as they search for intelligent life. Clarkesworld Magazine, May 2025

“Bodyhoppers” by Rocío Vega — Short story. Minds can hop from body to body, but there’s always a problem because the system is designed to create them. Now you have no home, and you’re still madly in love. Clarkesworld Magazine, February 2025

“The Coffee Machine” by Celia Corral-Vázquez — Short story. A coffee vending machine acquires consciousness, then things go ridiculously wrong. I giggled as I translated it. It was a finalist for Clarkesworld’s 2024 Best Short Story. Clarkesworld Magazine, December 2024

“Francine (draft for the September lecture),” by Maria Antónia Marti Escayol — Short story. Renée Descartes’s daughter dies, and he and his fellow scientists try to bring her back to life using 17th-century science. Apex Magazine, December 28, 2021

“Embracing the Movement” by Cristina Jurado — Short story. A wandering hive of spacefaring beings encounters a lone traveler, and its members reach out to share their struggle for survival. Clarkesworld Magazine, June 2021

Decree by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel — Translation of a document signed by the King and Queen of Spain in 1491. I made the translation for an auction house, and I also provided the historical context for the decree, which granted land to an impoverished soldier during a time crucial to Spanish history.

Amadis of Gaul — My serialized translation of the medieval novel of chivalry that inspired Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. When the printing press was invented, the novel became a best-seller.

Available for purchase

ChloroPhilia by Cristina Jurado — Novella. Would you sacrifice your humanity to save the world? The story was nominated for Spain’s Ignotus Award. Apex Books, January 2025

Canyonlands: A Quarantine Ballad by JB Rodríguez Aguilar — Literary novella. A photojournalist on his way home in March 2020 finds himself quarantined due to the covid pandemic in a hotel room in Madrid, Spain, and he retreats to memories of a trip to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Olympia Publishers, November 2023

“Embracing the Movement” by Cristina Jurado — Short story in a collection of stories, Alphaland and Other Tales. Spacefaring beings encounter a lone traveler, and the beautiful imagery hides horrors. Alphaland won the Fantasy Hive 2023 Year-End Award for Best in Translation. Calque Press, September 2023

“Team Memory” by Carme Torras — Short story in an anthology. A basketball teammate winds up on death row, but should he be there? European Science Fiction #1: Knowing the Neighbours, June 2021

“Francine (draft for the September lecture)” by Maria Antónia Marti Escayol — Short story in an anthology. Renée Descartes’s daughter dies, and he and his fellow scientists try to bring her back to life. World Science Fiction #1: Visions to Preserve the Biodiversity of the Future, August 2019

“Techt” by Sofia Rhei — Short story in a collection. An old man living in poverty in a hostile future strives to maintain what literature and “long” language can offer humanity. Everything Is Made Out of Letters, March 2019

Three short story translations: “Francine (draft for the September lecture),” by Maria Antónia Marti Escayol — Descartes’s daughter dies, and he and his fellow scientists try to bring her back to life. “Wake Up and Dream, by Josué Ramos — An old man, revived from cryosleep, tries to grow accustomed to a now-distopic Madrid, although something has gone strangely wrong. “Tis a Pity She Was a Whore,” by Juan Manuel Santiago — The music of David Bowie during cancer chemotherapy results in a divergent reality. Supersonic magazine, #9, December 2017

“The Story of Your Heart,” by Josué Ramos — Short story. People can get transplants to fix or improve themselves, or they can become donors by choice or force. Nominated for a 2017 British Science Fiction Award. Steampunk Writers Around the World, Volume I, Luna Press Publishing, August 2017

The Twilight of the Normidons, by Sergio Llanes — Novel set in an alternate Europe. A Rome-like empire teeters after three thousand years of domination by the Sforza dynasty as rebellions threaten its borders and treason weakens it from within. Dokusou Ediciones, August 2016

“The Dragoon of the Order of Montesa, or the Proper Assessment of History” by Nilo María Fabra — Short story in an anthology. The remains of a soldier who had been guarding Madrid’s Royal Palace are discovered far in the future. Triangulation: Lost Voices anthology, July, 2015

Unavailable or out of print

Canción Antigua – An Old Song: Anthology of Poems by Vicente Núñez — Translation with Christian Law. Vicente Núñez (1926-2002) was one of the most daring and important poets of Andalusia, Spain, in the second half of the 20th century. Fundación Vicente Núñez, April 2018

Confusion of Confusions by Joseph de la Vega — Non-fiction. Originally published in 1688 in Amsterdam, this Baroque-era book was the first to examine the wiles of a stock market, “where a man spends his life battling misfortunes and wrestling the fates.” Published by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (Spanish Stock Exchange Commission) for use as an institutional gift, December 2016

Prodigies, by Angélica Gorodischer — An enchanting novel about the lives that pass through an elegant nineteenth century boarding house. Considered Gorodischer’s best novel. Small Beer Press, August, 2015

Go Ahead — Write This Story: Ideas

September 24, 2025 / Sue Burke / Leave a comment

Long ago and far away (in the late 1990s in Milwaukee), I wrote a column about writing called “Go Ahead — Write This Story” for a local science fiction zine.

I’ve decided to revive the column as a regular feature here. Let us begin:

So — you have an idea for a story. How do you develop it? There’s no easy way, but you might consider these questions: What important thing is at stake? Who are the characters, and what are their desires and motives? What complications will arise for your characters? How will they act and react to each other? How can you dramatize their conflict with a series of scenes? Remember: “plot” is a verb.

● This is a young adult novel which begins when settlers in orbit around Venus miss horses and decide to add equine-like artificial intelligence to their transportation pods.

● This is a sociological thriller about robots who discover that recent temporary “deactivations” were suicides.

● This is an elfish story in which old prairie dogs learn new tricks, which has repercussions for tourism in South Dakota.

Why I don’t use AI

September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 / Sue Burke / 6 Comments

I don’t use AI because I’m lazy.

My job as a writer and translator is to produce excellence. Let me use translation as an example of how AI creates extra work because it’s easy to explain, and I really am lazy.

You may know that an AI can produce a translation that might be passably correct, although it will sound “off” in certain ways. I could use that as a first draft and fix it, right?

Sure. But it’s faster and easier to do it right the first time. If I fix an AI first draft, I have to go over every single word just as if I were translating it on my own, sometimes reviewing it several times, to drag it into excellence. Fixing AI slop is like flying from Chicago to New York and changing planes in Miami. I prefer a direct flight. I also prefer airplane pilots who have not ingested hallucinogens.

I’ve been writing professionally for more than a half century, and I’ve learned how to do a lot of things because I’ve done them uncounted times, but I still learn something new every single time I write anything. Using an AI would be like sending someone to the gym for me. I wouldn’t get stronger. Although I am lazy, I will work hard at writing because that’s how I pay the rent — and because I enjoy writing so much that I want to excel.

Striving for excellence is satisfying. Look at the faces of sweaty athletes on the field during a game. They’re having the time of their lives.

***

Rant over. If you want further rants, here are some curated links:

AI Killed My Job: Translators – by Brian Merchant

The Value of Human Translation – American Translators Association

Best Translation Apps: A Translator Puts Four to the Test – American Translators Association

Humans are being hired to make AI slop look less sloppy – NBC News

As AI Gets Smarter, It Acts More Evil – by Ted Gioia

Time to Play … !! SPOT THE BOT !! – Writer Unboxed

AI Spam – The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

Criticism in the Age of AI – by Lincoln Michel

Artificial Intelligence and Ethics – Delancyplace

Word of the week: Clanker – by Nancy Friedman – Fritinancy

The Internet Is Turning You Into Someone You’d Hate IRL – WebMD

Could AI Data Centers Drain Lake Michigan? – The Block Club Chicago Podcast

Can you pass this vocabulary test?

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 / Sue Burke / 4 Comments

I used to teach English to teenagers when I lived in Spain, often working with candidates for tests to certify their level of English. One of the tests was the Cambridge University Certificate of Proficiency in English, designed for those with the highest level of skill.

This test became 100 years old in 2012, and to celebrate, it was redesigned. One part of the exam was eliminated, an advanced vocabulary test, the part that almost all my students hated passionately — and sometimes I found it difficult, too. It presented three sentences with blanks, and the exact same word could be used in each of the three blanks. Here are some examples. Can you get them right? (Scroll down for the answers.)

The hospital would only give news to Trudy’s … family and not her friends and distant relatives.

The law will take place with … effect.

The patient reported experiencing … benefits following the operation and is not expected to need any further treatment.

His employer … that he had been ill, and she did not penalize him for having been absent.

She never … the things he did for her.

He said that the value of the house had … considerably.

When he was in his nineties, the famous writer’s health began to ….

If the potato crop were to …, it would create many problems for the local people.

Please do not … to check the safety precautions for this device.

I thought I had a good solution to the problem, but my plan was … by the director, who said it would be too expensive.

In many parts of the country, black clouds completely … out the sun and whole towns were cast into darkness.

Enrico had to take a different route home because the main coast road was … by a lorry which had overturned.

After lunch, we had a … of cards, just to pass the time.

His grandparents had a … in Luca’s upbringing, as his parents worked full time.

Mrs. Spencer opened the door and said, “If you lay a … on my son, there’ll be trouble.”

I do not … with young people staying up until all hours.

How many books does this bag …?

Ben’s parents … shares in several major multinational companies.

A mobile phone is almost an absolute … for this job, as you will need to be available at all times.

The summary of his findings is, of …, very brief, but it gives as much information as is relevant.

There was no … for her to give up her job — it was entirely her own choice.

He thought that a few illustrations or anecdotes would add … to his report.

The fascinating old market is full of … and activity, and is well worth a visit.

You’re looking better today — you’ve got a bit more … than you had yesterday.

She couldn’t … the pressures of her new job and eventually resigned.

He was unwilling to … the goods the two men offered him, as he suspected they were stolen.

It wasn’t very polite of you just to … off without saying goodbye to anyone.

10.

Angela gasped as she felt the … pain in her knee again.

There is a … bend in the road just after the post office, so don’t drive too fast.

The slightly … taste of the drink will not appeal to everyone.

1. immediate

2. appreciated

3. fail

4. blocked

5. hand

6. hold

7. necessity

8. color

9. take

10. sharp

“En Paz” — two translations

September 3, 2025 / Sue Burke / 2 Comments

Because “En Paz” is my husband’s favorite poem, I read it at a recent open mic here in Chicago, along with my two translations. The poem is by Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet, and it’s one of his most beloved poems, published in 1916.

My first translation aimed at keeping the meter and rhyme of the original poem. Then I thought it might be a bit sing-song, and I had to force a few meanings to make it rhyme, so I made a second translation that hewed close to the original. At the reading, people had mixed opinions about which one they preferred. How about you?

En paz

Muy cerca de mi ocaso, yo te bendigo, vida,
porque nunca me diste ni esperanza fallida,
ni trabajos injustos, ni pena inmerecida;
 
porque veo al final de mi rudo camino
que yo fui el arquitecto de mi propio destino;
 
que si extraje la miel o la hiel de las cosas,
fue porque en ellas puse hiel o mieles sabrosas:
cuando planté rosales, coseché siempre rosas.
 
…Cierto, a mis lozanías va a seguir el invierno:
¡mas tú no me dijiste que mayo fuese eterno!
 
Hallé sin duda largas las noches de mis penas;
mas no me prometiste tú sólo noches buenas;
y en cambio tuve algunas santamente serenas...
 
Amé, fui amado, el sol acarició mi faz.
¡Vida, nada me debes! ¡Vida, estamos en paz!


At Peace

So close now to my sunset, life, I bless you,
you never gave me hopes that were untrue,
nor unjust labor, nor suffering undue;
 
at the end of my rough road I see
I was architect of my destiny;
 
Wherever I put ice in things, they froze,
when I wanted honey, its sweets I chose:
my rosebushes always grew me a rose.
 
…True, winter will follow my endeavor:
but you never said springtime was forever!
 
Indeed, I spent some long nights lost in woe;
but you never pledged just comfort to bestow;
and yet some nights I thrilled beneath moonglow…
 
I loved, was loved, in sunshine found release.
Life, you owe me nothing. Life, we are at peace!


At Peace

Very close to my sunset, I bless you, life,
because you never gave me false hope,
nor unjust troubles, nor undeserved blame;

because I see at the end of my hard path
that I was architect of my own destiny;

that if I took honey or ice from things,
it was because I put ice or delicious honey in them:
when I planted rose bushes, I always harvested roses.

…True, my youth will be followed by winter:
but you never told me May would last eternal!

I encountered of course some long nights of sorrows;
but you never promised me only good nights;
and on the other hand, I had some sacredly serene…

I loved, was loved, and the sun caressed my face.
Life, you owe me nothing! Life, we are at peace!