本書主要從“基本問題”、“翻譯技巧”和“工作中的譯者”三個方面對文學翻譯的流程和技術問題進行了細致入微的探討。本書第一章探討文學翻譯認識上的一些問題，第二章則是研究微觀的問題，主要是小說和詩歌的種種翻譯策略，第三章是討論一些譯者使用的工具、工作時間和空間、費用問題以及合同的注意事項等問題。本書不論對初涉譯事的生手還是對經驗老到的譯者都會有所裨益，因為不論要使用的是哪兩種語言，其基本翻譯問題都很相似。

本書是一部注重實踐、不賣弄術語的翻譯著作。作者從多年的翻譯實 踐經驗著眼，對文學翻譯的流程和技術問題進行了細致入微的探討，為文 學翻譯這提供了大量信息和建議。初涉譯壇的新手和經驗老道的譯者都能 從本書中發現處理文學翻譯難題的實用技巧，因為無論在翻譯中使用哪兩 種語言，其基本問題都是相似的。本書語言風格機智風趣，簡明易懂，非 常感性地對文學翻譯實踐做出了中肯的指導。

La Derniere Translation, by Millor Fernandes
Preface
The Fundamentals
Why Literary Translation?
"Night Drive," by Rubem Fonseca
The uniqueness of literary translation
An ephemeral art
Getting started
How many languages?
Submissions: a primer
Coping with bad reviews
Preparing to translate
Down to work
Permissions
Staying on track
A day in the life of a literary translator
Stages of translation
Techniques of Translation
Decisions at the outset
Fluency and transparency
The author-translator-reader triangle
'Targeteers'and'sourcerers'
Resistance
Word by word or thought by thought?
Adaptation or translation?
Register and tone
Using tone in translation
What literary translators really translate
When not to translate cultural cues
The care and feeding of authors
The dubious project
Face time with the author
The hijacked author
Style in translation
Fiction and footnotes
Footnotes
Interpolation
Omission
Some notes on translating poetry
To rhyme or not to rhyme?
Translating humorous verse
Other areas of literary translation
Translating non-fiction
Translating for the theater
Translating children's literature
Puns and word play.
Stalking the treacherous typo (Lapsus calami)
The dilemma of dialect
Special problems in literary translation
English before there was English
English with a restricted vocabulary: a case study
Working with subtext
Indirect translation
Pitfalls and how to avoid them
Errors of frequency
'Landmine'words: hidden traps in translating common vocabulary
Change of address: problems of the English vocative
The all-important title
Title quest: a case study
Profanity, prurience, pornography
Pornography or'pornography'?
The crucial role of revision
How many drafts?
Final steps
Proofreading
Grammar checkers
Verifying against the source language
Where to publish
Periodicals
Commercial presses
Small presses
Academic presses
A word on self-publishing
The Working Translator
The translator's tools
References
How to use dictionaries for translation
Electronic vs. printed dictionaries
Dictionaries on the Internet
Workspace and work time
Financial matters
Taxes
Setting a price
Other translation-related sources of income
Contracts
What to include
The question
When contracts aren't honored
A final word on literary translation
Bibliography
Glossary
Appendix: Ethical questions in literary translation