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EDMF Translates High-quality Cookbook on European Gastronomy

EDMF Translates High-quality Cookbook on European Gastronomy

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Ever wondered how the Austrians make their renowned Tafelspitz? Perhaps you’re a fish addict and are interested in what makes a good sea fish soup in Croatia, or how the Finns prepare their gravlax? Or maybe, just maybe, you’d love to know how the French make their éclairs or the Belgians make such delicious chocolate cake.

The translators at EDMF were faced with all these recipes and many more during the recent translation of “How to Cook in Europe”, the latest in a series of high-quality cookbooks published at the end of 2017.

Following on from the success of “How to Cook in Hungary”, also translated by EDMF, this time the focus switched to Europe, and the book covers recipes from 15 different countries, including Italy, Spain, the UK and of course Hungary.

Alongside the recipes showcasing some gems of local cuisine in each country, paired with recommended beverages for each course, the book also contains a run-down of the national cuisines in general, so it really is the first place to go for an introduction into European cooking.

Translating a book of this size and complexity does have its challenges. Making sure all the translators are singing from the same song sheet is crucial. What does this mean? Well, it’s important that everyone uses the same terms for the different cuts of meat for example, and for the utensils used during cooking. The measurements listed with the ingredients also have to be standardised. This is all part of the preparatory work before the translation even starts, and fortunately we have a wealth of experience here. The sophisticated translation memory tool in use at EDMF is a huge help when several translators are working on the same project at the same time.

The recipes themselves can be tricky as well, and the translators need to be on top of their cooking terminology. Does the meat need braised, roasted or grilled? Do the vegetables need boiled, steamed, sautéed or stir-fried?

And accuracy is king, as with all translations of course. Get the measurements wrong or miss out a step, and people will be wondering why their panna cotta didn’t set or their cake didn’t rise. This is where EDMF’s tried and tested QA procedures kick in, making sure that the translations are faithful to the original with nothing missed out.

Sometimes translations can be a few pages long, they are delivered in a day, and you never see them again. This is why a book project like this, lasting months, is quite special, as at the end you see the fruits of all your endeavours.

And since you can build up quite an appetite translating over long hours, this means you get to mix business with pleasure. Now where’s my apron….?

Egy egyedülálló gasztronómiai könyv fordításának története

Do You Speak Hungarian Gastronomy?

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How To Cook In Hungary – a unique book on Hungarian gastronomy, translating cuisine.

Translating books is especially dear to our hearts. Particularly if the job entails winemakers, celebrities, sports people, artists and chefs, all of whom share their favourite recipes and personal culinary stories with the reader.

The translation of a unique book on gastronomy

This job was a real treat for EDMF Translations, from all perspectives. For us, translating this exclusive culinary book was full of fun experiences, not only because of the rewarding topic, but also because of the specialist language of gastronomy.

3 styles, 3 languages of translation

In actual fact, the “book” comprises 3 books in one: the stories of famous personalities, recipes of their favourite dishes, and wine recommendations from renowned winemakers. The three different fields required that the translators master three distinct registers.  We translated the Hungarian recipes, the personal stories and the expert descriptions of the wine recommendations with the same precision, in order to faithfully reflect the singularity of the book’s English version too.

During the translation we learnt a lot of charming stories from the interviewees, for example that László Cseh, Olympic silver and bronze medallist, world and European champion, 100 times Hungarian champion swimmer, is a true steak fan. But in the book we can also read about traditional Hungarian dishes like tripe stew interpreted by artists including the world-renowned opera singers Andrea Rost and Erika Miklósa.

Gastronomy experiences of Olympic medallists and opera singers 

In How To Cook In Hungary, 30 famous winemakers and 30 celebrities, including 13 Olympic champions, reveal to us their gastronomic experiences. Translating the 60 interviews, the more than 80 recipes and the recommendations of beautiful Hungarian wines was a truly rewarding and fascinating task.

The book was launched at a ceremonial event in the venerable Gundel Restaurant on 22 November 2016. Almost all of the participating celebrities in the book were in attendance, while many ambassadors currently posted to Budapest also graced the event with their presence. We were particularly delighted that EDMF was granted a prominent position at the event as a fitting end to this worthy project.