Paulo Coelho is one of those authors that remind me how huge the impact of a good translator is.

I read three of his books: Veronika Decide Morrer (Veronika Decides to Die), O Alquimista (The Alchemist), and Onze Minutos (Eleven Minutes). All in the original, in Portuguese. They weren't as bad as people say, but they all felt lacking polish and substance.

Then I checked Margaret Jull Costa's translation of Veronika, and it's like she sprouted life into it. It's all in the subtle things: replacing a metaphor with another that works better, removing indirection from a more emotional moment, this kind of thing does wonders to make a book feel more alive, like she breathed life into it, while still being faithful to the original.

(Another situation reminding me this impact is Interview with the Vampire. Anne Rice's original is… okay? Kind of meh, to be honest. Clarice Lispector's translation into Portuguese is a gem, though.)