French translator brings Vietnam literature to foreign readers

"Vietnam pleased me so much that I wanted to extend my experiences here," the 31-year-old Frenchman said.

He took advantage of his stay in Vietnam to work at a hotel and improve his Vietnamese. Four years later, back in France, he has now become a translator of novels, from Vietnamese to French.

He first had success with his translation of Song Song (Parallel), the first novel of Vietnamese writer Vu Dinh Giang, followed by his translation of Paris 11 Thang 8 (Paris 11 August), a novel by Thuan, which he described as "an excellent novel, full of humour and of justice in French society."

He will soon finish the translation of another novel.

Bouille said that the translation of the first book was performed at the suggestion of his Vietnamese professor, Doan Cam Thi, who taught him Vietnamese literature at the National Institute of Oriental languages and civilisations at Paris 7 University.

"I did not know the work by Vu Dinh Giang before. When I read it, I appreciated his innovations and audacious writing style. I was struck by the darkness of the text. I had the impression that I had in my hand what is called a "literary UFO." A strong and beautiful text. And I told myself that I absolutely had to translate it," he said.

Rich language: Yves Bouille has translated two contemporary novels by Vietnamese writers: Song Song (Parallel) and Paris 11 Thang 8 (Paris 11 August).

Bouille said he began to translate the Vietnamese books when Thi proposed he collaborate with her to promote contemporary Vietnamese literature collections for the Riveneuve Publishing House, which she co-founded with other literature experts.

"I share with her the taste of contemporary literature and the wish to promote contemporary Vietnamese literature to the French public. So far, very few books by Vietnamese authors have been translated into French. I find it a pity because the translated books, which are available, have become old and are no longer suitable to the reality of the country," he said.

"It was not difficult for me to learn Vietnamese because I was very motivated to learn it. I have a musical ear, which is a great help to master the tones," he explains.In translating those books, Bouille has developed perfect Vietnamese. He first began to learn Vietnamese language by himself using his own method. He bought a book with audio files and listened to them everyday.

The young Frenchman has discovered several advantages to the Vietnamese language.

"At first, the grammar is very simple. The words are invariable. The verbs do not have to be conjugated. The rules for pronunciation are stable. And the quoc ngu facilitates the lecturing and writing. What is more difficult is the richness of the personal names and remembering the vocabulary," he said.

Bouille then improved his Vietnamese during a 3-year course of Vietnamese literature with professor Thi.

Love of Vietnam

His interest in Vietnamese culture and language began in his adolescence, as a large part of his family was born and lived in Vietnam for some years during the time of Indochina (French colonialism).

However, he did not hear many stories about Vietnam from his family. The country that he had imagined was made up of images that he watched in films or formed through his readings.

Yet the reality that he witnessed in Vietnam was very different from his imagination.

"I imagined a calm and peaceful atmosphere that I could find in the countryside, but the frenetic activity and the dynamism of the cities made me see things very differently," he said.

"During my life in Vietnam, I did everything using a Vietnamese style like cooking my meals. My Vietnamese friends told me that I became more Vietnamese than them except for the fact that I could never ride a motorbike !," laughs Bouille.

He said that what he loved in Vietnam came from his own experiences.

"My experiences here profoundly changed me. I could discover a very different culture, which enriched my life and opened my way of seeing things. It's easy to get in contact with other people, and I discovered the joy of living. I have kept wonderful souvenirs. And Vietnam is also a paradise for those who love good gastronomy," he said with a big smile.