International Booker Prize-winning translator discusses her fascination with language, the demands of literary translation and the creative judgement behind her work
Sharjah, November 6, 2026
Translating a novel means writing a new one, with every word and expression requiring fresh creative decisions, International Booker Prize-winning translator Daisy Rockwell told audiences at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026).
Speaking during a session titled “Across Languages: Daisy Rockwell on the Art of Literary Translation”, the American writer, artist and Hindi-Urdu translator discussed her fascination with language and the challenges of recreating literature in English.
“When you translate, you are literally building a new novel, because you are writing in a new language that has its unique words and meanings,” she said, explaining that translators must work within the vocabulary and expressive possibilities of the new language while preserving the original meaning.
A fascination with language
Rockwell traced her interest in translation to her early studies of Latin, ancient Greek, German and French, before taking up Hindi at university. She described her love of grammar and understanding how the individual elements of a language work together.
That fascination extends to everyday life. She recalled how her teenage daughter becomes frustrated when she analyses the meanings of song lyrics instead of simply enjoying the music.
The same curiosity shapes her choice of books to translate. “I have to be intrigued by the way that the author is using language. So that’s always the first thing that grabs me. You have to really love a book because you’ll end up reading it 10 or 15 times, or even 20 times.”
Rockwell said that translating a book requires examining its language and meanings in far greater depth than ordinary reading does, immersing the translator in every word and detail of the text.
Make time for creativity
Addressing aspiring writers and artists, Rockwell encouraged them to establish a daily creative practice, even when schoolwork and other responsibilities leave little free time.
“One thing you need is time to do anything creative, and if it’s not given to you, you have to take it,” she said, adding: “Not every day will you get inspiration, especially if you’re waking up at five o’clock in the morning to do it. But if you’re sitting there with your pen in your hand, you will write something, and you will become a better writer.”
The creative choices behind translation
Rockwell also discussed translating Geetanjali Shree’s Hindi novel Ret Samadhi, published in English as Tomb of Sand, which won the 2022 International Booker Prize.
She explained that samadhi carries several meanings, including a memorial, a final resting place and a heightened state of meditation, making it difficult to capture in an English title: “When you’re translating the title of a book, you can’t put all those words on the cover of a book.”
Although Shree preferred retaining samadhi in the title, Rockwell chose Tomb of Sand and included five dictionary definitions of the Hindi word at the beginning of the English edition.
“The English reader will start to learn what the word samadhi means right as they open the book,” she explained, adding that its meanings gradually become clearer throughout the novel.
AI and literary translation
Rockwell also touched on the limitations of artificial intelligence in literary translation, drawing on her experience of translating Ret Samadhi to illustrate the creative judgement required when a word carries multiple cultural and linguistic meanings.
“That’s an example of something that AI is not going to do for you,” she said, referring to her decision to use Tomb of Sand as the English title while retaining the different meanings of samadhi through the definitions included in the book.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair is being held at Expo Centre Sharjah from November 4 to 15, 2026. The 12-day event hosts 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries, showcasing more than 1.7 million titles.
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