THE TRANSLATOR'S DILEMMA

ways believed that wo

that the wrong word

out to discover just how

started bef

s small apartment, filling the quiet room with a

, it

g at her reflection while trying to decide w

e bl

trou

black

neat bun, with only a few soft

ed profe

she hope

the time o

2 a

h

bed her

alread

rribly

to make a bad

t a day when she

t three months applying f

ving her unemployed at a time when rent was rising, bills were waitin

small translat

ranslated

helped s

ing a twenty-page business proposal fo

of it w

n international transla

ed her a tempo

the most powerful busi

tian

me sounded

knew who

yone

nternational, a multinational company with investments in

as y

ely we

y pri

rticle Lillian had read about him

heard another

o

equently whenever peo

o

roach

and

rgiv

ention of becoming

eeded to d

nsl

rofess

pa

h

mp

that was

apartment and locked

n the stairs,

r best fr

e trying not to slip

el

you a

an st

seven in th

to be on your way to mee

not my

et

ia

ha

don't

laug

to know what

n his pictu

es don'

hy

e men look diffe

building door and s

not my

even know

d

What's yo

one n

t Lillian had to pull the

es is definite

't say

t's wrong

thi

act

rolled h

ve to

ai

ha

fall in

an la

my emp

things hav

ng to wo

kno

re to tr

kno

intereste

kno

an fr

und sus

picious. I'm

ever even

t men li

s even

ughed

d lu

nk y

Lil

es

e you feel small beca

smile fade

ing Mia said when she k

m f

t remember w

an sm

wil

nded t

to her handbag and raise

g in the back seat, watching the c

folder containi

moved over

gnment w

important internation

vestors were comin

involve English, F

ke all thre

ke sure nothing w

ed out t

n do

id it

c

se words would be tested

-

al stood in the h

ding was

of glass, steel, a

any headquarters and more

ped through the revolvi

y s

e suits and walking with the kind of confidence t

ned her grip o

ionist l

morn

n Brooks. I'm here for th

typed something i

s is expe

an bl

e

es

t handed her a

second

nk y

ed toward th

ked against th

, her heartbeat

vator a

epped

oors

econds, she

herself in the

an do

r began mov

d the numb

ty-f

rty

ty-s

mach ti

rt

ty-

ty-

i

oors

n step

ere changed

floor was quiet

e fewer e

ecorated with ab

et was d

d stood a lar

ng behind a d

Bro

es

is waitin

n swal

nk y

oman

low

d toward t

d that the wom

y opened

, Ms. Broo

voice a

d he

n steppe

an en

closed be

t time, she saw

tely why people descri

t doing

y sitting be

room seemed t

navy suit wit

e buttoned neat

longer than most business

ce was

ar

y that Lillian di

rom the docume

eyes

the sentence sh

tudied her

ru

op

caref

he

're

lanced at

:

ked bac

tment was

s ei

blin

act

aned

rived a

es

arrive ten mi

ave to fight Lagos t

le

iately regret

's eyebro

ared he

sor

e y

es

't sound

ssed her li

e whether he w

bab

ving at exactly eight

her for ano

he

it

in the chair

ed a folder ac

you're fluent in F

es

flu

h to work pro

not an

an fr

d you like

er you can translate a convers

c

ne says

did you

narrowed

d she had chall

coming angry, Chr

eres

ha

't seem

a

on't l

ause I'm tr

e noticed something un

sem

red almost

another

eeting in th

kno

sit be

cour

anslate ev

es

omething offensive

cour

one insu

transl

nslating it will

l trans

oked

hy

translator, n

le

ristian

as s

notic

t was

re quickly looking

smi

inessman act

ian no

ok surp

t say an

dn't ha

looked

s analyze peo

they're i

art sk

ed that

t inter

decide

ooked

going to be

s lips cur

ave no

-

m was already full

Spain, and Italy were seated

er position be

sted her

usness di

s what

ges we

es made

ere comp

were e

eting

nvestor sp

ranslated

xecutive respo

lated int

Spa

he room became a

ffortlessly bet

watched he

dn't n

did and chose

our, everything

he investors

quickly i

istened c

ds were

sted our tim

ransl

n remain

estor c

but your company is negot

anslated e

n's jaw

hould check yo

mmed his hand ag

ve pr

n tran

m fell

n leaned

t pr

d a document

n reache

the fi

changed in

n watc

time, she sa

fe

an

hing

closed t

ue this discu

tor shook

N

ian lo

use

you have money, eve

ranslated

s expressi

man

making a

replied

ated his words

Hayes

stop

n looked

ha

hesi

ng she wasn't sure

did he

estor d

ooked at

were wa

nsl

e

doesn't ma

or laughed

ust ma

m went

tian

ended ten mi

yone

behind to gathe

stood near

oking at

Bro

es

ted everythi

nk y

ou hes

an st

you wanted me to transl

to translate

kno

why he

ords can cause more

turned t

s your

rha

ed towa

would you

ked up

ere my d

es

ave told t

n stared

it hurt

ially

as s

he

re hi

an bl

ha

heard

only here for t

u w

d n

ou to wor

st

how l

en't d

Hay

isti

pa

ha

me Chr

at him su

hy

I'm askin

n look

is s

ecisions

's ob

ps twi

say whatever yo

ual

s dang

ve bee

ked pa

sto

mor

tu

rrow

re at

hy

have anothe

dy have tr

't wan

hy

over his

e you'r

o words meant more to Lil

sm

nk y

tian

ight, L

fr

ed her fi

n't have

it

hed him

he whi

ing to be c

-

an sat on her bed w

eating

staring at

S

as

wh

e every

nothing

re ly

m n

ing at the ceilin

an si

s is st

nds

s irre

's a

n't sa

dn't ne

sm

happ

d her about

er about t

about Christi

tened c

finished, Mia

terested

nearly

ha

ikes

lost you

ser

ely kno

act

oes tha

't usually pay att

o you

've read a

e ridi

shru

are

rew a pill

laug

became

be car

looked

hy

ul men don't al

an no

kno

d y

abou

f trying to see the

smiled

t's not a

N

pression

else's darkness make yo

an sm

won

ristian Hayes had his o

y soon, she would become the

-

lian arrived at Hayes

was

y e

istian accusing her

ist smiled wh

ning, Ms.

morn

es is up

rea

e first person i

an no

urse

red the

-second floor, she found t

assistant

is office was

an kn

ans

ocked

l no

ed the d

isti

ans

epped

t behind

ound from the othe

iet

an tu

standing nea

e was

leeves were

e didn't look like the po

oked

y t

ce was

e hand agains

an fr

you o

m f

n't loo

m f

id that

oked

nd

omething when they're tr

smile

alyze t

e because I'

ecause you spe

at

ughed

steppe

ould go

ave

work to

t need

ear

es nar

she had pus

en he

unexpec

an st

ha

thi

lau

kno

think you

ok his

becoming

't even

alked towar

suddenly

ed for the edg

oved inst

isti

m f

is voice sou

eached fo

down at

ately pull

or

ared

expressio

n't

passed bet

ither of the

onds, they simp

cl

ld hear his

the small nervous mo

ed at h

ckly loo

shoul

m o

talking ab

blin

ha

ook ne

a

hy

ou're acti

smi

finally seeing

an fr

now what t

u w

-

relationship c

ian became part of Chr

slated m

ed him to bus

pare internati

with him to

ial documents and arguing about coffee,

omfor

ered that Lillia

at Christian drank hi

t Lillian sang quietly w

Christian secretly lov

t discovery comple

ou

the company lounge

n looked

ha

h romanti

etim

ch o

hy

nt to

hrug

abla

an st

lly are

ask

your f

oked

with happy

his answer made

hy

ife doesn't alw

t know wh

there were

-

king for Christian, they traveled to

ight w

t beside t

n sat be

two hours, n

hristi

re qu

rea

ng the same page f

oked a

s thi

bo

ou

ed an e

s dang

way you're

m I th

n't k

know it's not the

rolled h

aking things

with

ed out t

hy

dn't answer

y spoke, his v

you don't

an tu

ha

peop

om

om

died hi

hy

oked

don't like w

at do t

doesn't tru

n was

houldn't tru

don

do you t

n looked

't kno

rt beat

did you

ing about you m

rio

es

ut w

smi

figured tha

-

d something

t was t

s the cold

an looked at Lillian when he

ed during

t, they

ner in small

lau

lly l

e CEO people feared and more

they stood ne

ts reflected

d her coat ar

beau

d at her instea

es

tu

staring

ha

thi

ep doin

ng w

at me l

e wh

trying to f

smi

be I

ooked

u figure

t y

oo

hy

I'm com

am

finitely c

lau

sm

ent, neit

ian reached

s heart

l strand of hair that ha

s brushed

eemed to be

her

lowered t

s breath

aned

sto

lled

ight, L

ared a

d ni

lked

ouching the place wher

whis

a terri

e was

-

ning, everyt

bby and immediately noticed

n was be

eg

fid

ristian's arm

an st

easant twisted

't under

ouldn'

wasn't her

t even h

her e

g another woman

ian lo

es met

sappeared fr

mething to

ed toward

morn

rni

es nar

's wr

thi

look

m n

re ly

lked p

to the conf

ollo

lli

stop

ha

's wr

thi

look a

refu

d in fron

lli

lly look

ession s

ave to prete

swal

ou with

man dow

es

me is I

dn't

old fami

ka

t's

aid

studied

he sm

ere je

yes w

as n

u w

was

u w

urned

lau

on

hy

you're

ere je

oked a

be I

sappeared fr

pped c

hy

uldn't

she didn

knew and was af

lowered

lli

look

es

what you're

art st

ha

ok his

thi

e walk

ned standing

fus

rif

cretly

-

arely arrives w

er, Lillian re

der was

only one a

otog

open

eath c

s Chr

beside

n she had see

the photograp

holding the

eath the photog

who she

tared at

t began

the photo

ng wasn

ge look

y o

n looked

you

he wo

n zoom

suddenly

ew tha

erson

om som

seen her

newspape

aph from

bout Christi

fingers

ched the

nded as the a

dline a

LOSES FIANCÉE IN M

stopped

an

d the a

s had been eng

hotograph was name

le, she had disappeare

ad never b

d at the phot

at th

year

d seen in Paris look

hone

an ju

ist

red at

dn't a

one st

ds later, i

answ

el

lli

ice wa

ca

e are

he ho

to my

rt bega

hy

to talk

ut w

was a

hristi

photo

ian

u k

kno

ow

se I s

ood we

ha

graph you

voice beca

t it t

ian

hy

deserve to kn

t tr

er si

ething that made

Laurent

couldn

s coming b

all e

tared at

ds were

knocked on he

n

ic

ly appro

is

ans

through t

ood ra

e photograph was

bel

iv

smil

d her hand and

ian B

couldn

oice came thr

you're i

sm

lk to you abo

stepped

rt was

hristian Hayes, she wished she had nev