Translation Problem, Week 3:

Jhumpa Lahiri: "La mia scrittura in italiano, così come un ponte, è qualcosa di costruito, di tenue. Potrebbe in qualsiasi momento sprofondare, lasciandomi in pericolo. L'inglese scorre sotto i piedi. Me ne sono accorta: è una presenza innegabile, anche se probo a evitarlo. Rimane, come l'acqua a Venezia, l'elemento più forte, più naturale, l'elemento che minaccia sempre di inghiottirmi. Paradossalmente, potrei sopravvivere senza problemi in inglese, non annegherei. Eppure, non volendo nessun contatto con l'acqua, faccio i ponti."

Literal, word-for-word translation: "My writing in Italian, as well as a bridge, is something constructed, of the small intestine. It could collapse at any moment, leaving me in danger. The Englishman flowing beneath your feet. I noticed it's a undeniable presence, even if honest to avoid it. Remains, as the water in Venice, the strongest element, the more natural, the element that always threatens to swallow. Ironically, I could not survive without problems in English, do not drown. Still, not wanting any contact with water, I do the bridges."

My transposition ('refracted' for America sociocultural "accessibility"): As well as a bridge, my Italian writing is something forged by (from?) the gut. It could collapse at any moment, leaving me in danger. The English flowing beneath your feet: I notice it as an undeniable presence, even when I admittedly avoid it. Like the water in Venice, it remains the strongest element, the more natural--the element that always threatens to swallow. Ironically, I could not survive without problems in English, not without drowning. Still, not wanting any contact with the water, I undertake the bridges.