Stephanie Smee is a Sydney-based literary translator working predominantly from the French language into English and has translated some twenty books across a variety of genres. She trained and worked as a lawyer in Sydney and in London, prior to returning to her love of languages in 2003. She worked first as a legal translator for some years before devoting herself exclusively to literary translation.
‘On the line: notes from a factory’ follows Ponthus as he finds work at a fish processing plant and abattoir. Descriptions of a gruelling and violent life is contrasted with the elegance of his writing which Smee says was, ‘challenging, haunting, and a privilege to translate’.
The judging panel said,
‘This is a powerful translation which brings to life the author’s journey into the mundane, stultifying and relentless routines of factory work. The translation effectively captures and reveals the interplay of the protagonist’s intellectual and physical worlds as the vast hollow spaces of the production line echo and re-echo in its mesmerising, rhythmic language.’
Academy President, Professor Stephen Garton AM FAHA FRAHS FASSA FRSN, commended Smee on receiving the award.
‘Stephanie Smee is a distinguished and highly regarded translator who has dedicated herself to the work and memory of Ponthus through this evocative work. ‘On the line’ is the kind of book that the literary culture of Australia would consume readily but would be otherwise inaccessible to many without the insightful, careful and masterful work of Smee.’
‘The 2024 Medal for Translation received numerous applications, demonstrating the strong profession of translation in Australia. An award recognising the work and artistry of translators in Australia is important in an environment where less than 5% of books published are translations — limiting the voices, ideas and stories we encounter in our literary lives. I congratulate the other shortlisted translators: Josh Stenberg, Kevin Windle and Elena Govor, who each submitted works of wonderful scholarship and literary value.’
