American poet Amanda Gorman became suddenly famous reading a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC last January.
So it was not a shock when Marieke Lucas Rijneveld announced on Twitter that Amsterdam-based publisher Meulenhoff had chosen them to translate Gorman’s poetry collection “The Hill We Climb” into Dutch.
However, the non-binary author (whatever it means) was slashed with online criticism and progressive media, who demonstrated that it would be inappropriate for a white person to translate Gorman’s book.

Among those who criticized the decision were social activists and journalists: “Not to take anything away from Rijneveld’s qualities, but why not choose a writer who is — just like Gorman — a spoken-word artist, young, female, and unapologetically Black?”
Rijneveld wrote on Twitter: “I had happily devoted myself to translating Amanda’s work, seeing it as the greatest task to keep her strength, tone, and style. However, I realize that I am in a position to think and feel that way, where many are not.” (1)
But the incident was far from being over when Catalan translator Victor Obiols was removed from the job because he had the wrong “profile”.
“They told me that I am not suitable to translate it. They did not question my abilities, but they were looking for a different profile, which had to be a woman, young, activist and preferably black.”
He did not know if the rejection came from the original publisher or Gorman’s agent.
“It is a very complicated subject that cannot be treated with frivolity,” said Obiols: “But if I cannot translate a poet because she is a woman, young, black, an American of the 21st century, neither can I translate Homer because I am not a Greek of the eighth century BC. Or could not have translated Shakespeare because I am not a 16th-century Englishman.”

Do you think that Bart D. Ehrman should not translate the bible because he’s not a little funny Jew? (2)

(1) ** you do not have permission to see this link **
(2) how about stereotypes?