Trent University French Studies Professor Given Governor General’s Literary Award For Translation

Trent University’s coordinator and professor of French Studies, Dr. Sylvie Bérard, has been awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Translation for her translation of The Tiger Flu by Larissa Lai, a science fiction novel reimagined in French as Les Sœurs de la Muée, announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

“Sylvie exemplifies the intellectual and creative excellence that is fostered at Trent,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, Trent president and vice-chancellor. “Her achievement reflects the power of language and imagination to connect cultures and ideas, a remarkable contribution to Canada’s bilingual and literary landscape.”

The Governor General’s Literary Awards, presented annually by the Canada Council for the Arts, celebrate the best in Canadian literature across seven categories in both English and French. Professor Bérard shares the award for translation (English to French) with her partner and long-time collaborator, Suzanne Grenier, marking the duo’s eighth translated work together.

“I feel like I am floating on a cloud. To be seen and heard by peers at this level is profoundly affirming,” said Bérard. “It also gives this wonderful book and its ideas a new life and visibility in French. The universe created by Larissa Lai in The Tiger Flu is quite unique, so this is the kind of translation that really benefits from teamwork.” 

This is Prof. Bérard’s second nomination for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Translation. She received her first nomination for her translation of another Larissa Lai novel, Salt Fish Girl (Le fruit de la puanteur). She is also the recipient of a Trillium Book Award for Poetry in 2018 and a Trillium Book Award nomination in 2021, further solidifying her standing among Canada’s most versatile literary voices. 

The award-winning translation, completed over two years, required both scholarly research and artistic creation. Set 120 years in the future, Les Sœurs de la Muée demanded the creation of new terms, including the noun ‘Muée’ in the translation’s title and cultural references that feel authentic to French readers while remaining faithful to the English original. 

“When you translate science fiction, you don’t just translate the words. You translate the history of ideas, the imagined future, and the nuance of worlds that another writer has created,” said Prof. Bérard. “Translation is about recreating an entire universe so that readers in another language can inhabit it naturally. We don’t want people to feel like they are reading a translation. We want people to feel like they are reading a great book, and that requires a love for the work that you’re translating and needing to immerse yourself in the author’s original work.”

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