Playing with Portuguese:
Giovanni Pontiero's Translations

Giovanni Pontiero worked as a professional translator specializing in Portuguese literature. Edith Grossman, another famous figure in the field, praised his ability to handle complex texts. She explains that Romance languages allow for certain sentence structures that do not work in English. For example, writers in Spanish or Portuguese often omit subject pronouns. They also move words around in ways that English rules do not permit.

Pontiero managed these differences with great skill. He earned a reputation for maintaining the beauty of the original text while following English rules. As a British scholar, he focused on bringing Portuguese fiction to a wider audience. He is most famous for translating the novels of Jose Saramago. This partnership helped Saramago reach many English readers.

Introducing Global Authors to English Readers

His work went far beyond a single writer. He introduced several major authors to the English-speaking world. These included the Brazilian poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade and the novelist Clarice Lispector. He also translated works by Manuel Bandeira. While he focused on Portuguese, he was also a skilled translator of Spanish and Italian texts.

His colleagues and students knew him for his brilliance and hospitality. He created a warm environment within his university department. He showed a deep love for his subjects and for the craft of translation. He was a pioneer who helped shape how Portuguese literature is read today.

Career Awards and Recognition

The global literary community honored his talent with several prestigious awards. These prizes recognized his ability to create faithful versions of difficult novels. His work with Saramago was especially successful.

He received the following honors for his contributions:

• The Independent Foreign Fiction Award.
• The American Translators Award.
• The Teixeira-Gomes Translation Award from the Portuguese government.
• A nomination for the Aristeion Award.

The Giovanni Pontiero Prize

The Instituto Camões maintains a translation prize in his honor. This award supports the exchange of literature between different cultures. It ensures that his name stays connected to high standards in the field. The award is given each year to a talented translator.

The prize focus changes based on a regular schedule:

• In even-numbered years, the prize goes to a Spanish translation of a Portuguese work.
• In odd-numbered years, the award recognizes a Catalan translation originally written in Portuguese.

Achievements by the Numbers

These figures show the scale and impact of his literary career. He remains a respected figure in the translation community. His vast contributions earned him international recognition after his passing.

His literary output included the following totals:

• 5: The number of Jose Saramago novels he translated into English.
• 6: The number of novels by Clarice Lispector he brought to English readers.
• 64: His age at the time of his passing.

Giovanni Pontiero is commended in Edith Grossman’s interview here.

Learn More About Famous Translators

Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment highlighting notable translated works and linguists. Our team researches and shares stories that matter to the global translation community. You can share your own stories with us by contacting info@motaword.com.

Check out our previous articles on this topic:

• Deadly Translation: Hitoshi Igarashi and The Satanic Verses
• One Man's Soul Mountain: Translating Gao Xingjian
• The Mistranslation of the Mystical Nostradamus

Citations: The Independent, ArchivesHub, Fivebooks