Lost and Found: translation into English and comment of Leila Aghakhani Chianeh's debut short story cycle.

Abstract

Airports are the most exemplary site of amalgamation of different languages, often all united and underscored by the usage of English as a lingua franca. Leila Aghakhani Chianeh’s book, Lost and Found, is inevitably international in scope, as it is set at the Lost and Found counter of the airport of Venice, where the stories of her many characters all intertwine. Drawing from an interest towards the English language that is already present in the original Italian book, I was inspired to translate and this book into English. In a certain sense, my work would be more than a translation: a re-translation, for the most part, since many of the conversations from which the events in the book draw inspiration probably happened in the lingua franca and were later transcribed by the author in Italian. Moreover, most chapter titles are internationally understandable, being either written in English or representing toponyms. My work will not just entail translating the book into English, though: it will also include an analysis of the background of the text and the context that has created it and a comment on a few of the stories which appear to be particularly relevant to the aspect of translation.