Boston My Blissful Winter - An Interview with Translator Paulette Boudrot

Paulette Boudrot earned a BS in Education from Bridgewater State University, an MA in French Language and Literature from Middlebury College in Vermont, and a diploma in Twentieth-Century French Literature from the Sorbonne, University of Paris as a Fulbright Scholar. Paulette taught French and ESL in elementary schools, colleges, and universities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. During the 1980s, she transitioned from education to administration at the French Cultural Services at the French Consulate in Boston. In 1995, she founded PLJ Administrative & Business Solutions, outsourcing administration and project management for small to medium sized companies. The French government honored her as a Chevalier in the Order of Academic Palms in 2010. Paulette is an active member of Rotary International, the Boston/Strasbourg Sister City Association, the Sandwich Arts Alliance and the Société Francophone de Cape Cod. She currently resides on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Boston, My Blissful Winter is her debut literary translation.

For more information about Paulette Boudrot, visit her website at http://www.pauletteboudrot.com.

 

Topics of Conversation

Translating a Book

Working with the Author during the translation

Literal vs. Literary Translation

The publishing journey

What's next for Paulette Boudrot?

Read the Reader Views Review of Boston My Blissful Winter

  A Note from the Author

"Dear friends,

The American-English translation of my book "Boston, un hiver si court" has just been released as "Boston My Blissful Winter, Memories of the 1980s", by PRA Publishing. We owe it to Paulette Boudrot, who did a remarkable job giving us an attentive, precise, elegant and faithful version. I thank her very sincerely. I would also like to thank the publisher, Lucinda Clark and editor, Ellen Albanese, who, despite the health crisis we are all experiencing, have managed to meet publication deadlines.

Over time, the 1980s emerged as happy and fruitful years. Peace and prosperity prevailed in Boston. The large number of students attending its universities brought enthusiasm and joy to this human-scaled city where it was a pleasure to live.

The centennial of the Statue of Liberty, the bicentennial of the Revolution of 1789, and the visit of the French President gave me many opportunities to celebrate the French and Franco-American friendship. These occasions also allowed me to discover the strength of the Bostonians, attached to their traditions, but tolerant, reasonable, and daring, always ready to protect Freedom and especially their own freedom. I have had the pleasure of meeting exceptional people, some noted in my book and to whom it is dedicated. "

Alain Briottet
Paris
October 2020