IAMD / WKL / IDW
In this article: Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul
Written by Johanna McCalmont, and was originally published in World Kid Lit
Aug 14, 2023
Written by Johanna McCalmont, and was originally published in World Kid Lit
Aug 14, 2023
Today World Kid Lit Co-Editor Johanna McCalmont talks to translators Kate Wakeling and Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul who worked together to bring Reda Gaudiamo’s Na Willa to life in English (Emma Press, 2023).
Johanna WKL: Thanks for joining us on the blog today. I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Na Willa on her daily adventures in Na Willa and the House in the Alley and can’t wait to find out more about how you worked together to translate the stories from Indonesian into English but perhaps we can start by getting to you know first. How did you come to learn Indonesian? What brought you to translation? And how did you get involved in translating this particular project?
Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul: Thank you for this opportunity! In 2014, Emma and I were drinking tea in London while discussing the opportunity for The Emma Press to widen its business in Asia, in this case, Indonesia. I saw the enthusiasm in her eyes and I felt quite optimistic that someday, she will be out in front. Years after her hard work and efforts on the press, the door finally opened. In 2019, The Emma Press won funding from The Ministry of Culture and Education in Indonesia. She then contacted me, and I didn’t think twice to say YES!
Working on the series of Na Willa has been joyful for me. As a French born Javanese (Indonesian), it’s a bonus that I can share my love for the culture and language I was raised with. Not to mention, I am also a big fan of Reda Gaudiamo. Na Willa was indeed a special project because it reminds me of my childhood in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Johanna WKL: Thanks for joining us on the blog today. I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Na Willa on her daily adventures in Na Willa and the House in the Alley and can’t wait to find out more about how you worked together to translate the stories from Indonesian into English but perhaps we can start by getting to you know first. How did you come to learn Indonesian? What brought you to translation? And how did you get involved in translating this particular project?
Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul: Thank you for this opportunity! In 2014, Emma and I were drinking tea in London while discussing the opportunity for The Emma Press to widen its business in Asia, in this case, Indonesia. I saw the enthusiasm in her eyes and I felt quite optimistic that someday, she will be out in front. Years after her hard work and efforts on the press, the door finally opened. In 2019, The Emma Press won funding from The Ministry of Culture and Education in Indonesia. She then contacted me, and I didn’t think twice to say YES!
Working on the series of Na Willa has been joyful for me. As a French born Javanese (Indonesian), it’s a bonus that I can share my love for the culture and language I was raised with. Not to mention, I am also a big fan of Reda Gaudiamo. Na Willa was indeed a special project because it reminds me of my childhood in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Read the full article here.
