Addressing the Romanian Guilt? Join me at the Romanian Book Fair, Toronto!
In 2016, when I got the idea for my first book, Introverts: Leverage Your Strengths for an Effective Job Search, I wrote it directly in English.
Why?
It's based on a decade of experience applying coaching to employment and career counseling, and I did my coaching training in English (Canada, US). Most of the workshops I've designed and delivered on such topics since were in English. Some were in French, too.It proved to be okay enough, because I also discovered a profession I wasn't aware of: professional editors (hired even by famous contemporary authors to polish their books for grammar, punctuation, proper English, style, and book structure,...). This was liberating, to a certain extent.
Addressing the Romanian Guilt?
"You're a Romanian living in Canada. Will your books be also available in Romanian? When? Why don't you write in Romanian and then translate them, if you want?"
I don't remember the name of the Romanian-Canadian writer whose answers to such questions really resonated with me: "Writing a book in one language, then translating it into another language (even if that's your native language) is like writing it again. It's not a simple word-by-word translation because each language has its own structure, cultural nuances, and multiple word meanings that might not be picked up properly by a translator," be it human or not.
In my case, translating or writing again my first book (340 pages) in Romanian would require at least the same amount of time (if not more) as writing it in English—which took ten months, writing up to 7-8 hours daily. Given that most Romanian Canadians understand English, and many Romanian professionals do as well, I prefer to dedicate my time to write more books and build the Introverts Academy.
Navigating Languages and Genres
Since I emigrated from Romania to Canada 22 years ago, and my professional vocabulary related to the content of that book is in English, my Romanian vocabulary might not fully correspond to that currently used in Romania.
I do make an effort to have my photo-coaching books in English, French, and Romanian. They're shorter and invite self-reflection, so the text is easier to translate and adapt.
However, I had to pay attention even in this context. Not everyone is familiar with the coaching concepts and techniques I used in these books.
One of the French editors who reviewed a French translation became upset when I pointed out that the meaning of her translation didn't correspond to what I wanted to convey.
As for the Romanian translation, someone said: "We don't say it this way in Romania!"
While those comments didn't stop me from publishing my photo-coaching books also in French and Romanian, I did appreciate their input—which helped me improve the final content.
Join Us: Romanian Book Fair in Toronto!
Interested in exploring books by Romanian contemporary authors, including mine?
Join us on September 6 at the Târg de carte românească la Toronto / Romanian Book Fair in Toronto, organized by the Consulate General of Romania in Toronto to celebrate the Ziua Limbii Române / Romanian Language Day.
Târg de carte românească la Toronto / Romanian Book Fair
Dedicated to Romanian authors and their readers
• When: September 6, 2025, 11 am - 6 pm EDT
• Where: 789 Don Mills Rd, North York (Toronto)
Agenda: Book Launches, Informative sessions, Interactive Discussions.
We're looking forward to celebrating the Romanian language together through literature and thoughtful discussions!
Gabriela Casineanu, MSc, MBA, MBTI
Award-winning author • Founder, Introverts Academy
