One naturally identifies to some extent with an "I" female narrator going through something that you recognize whether you've gone through it or not.

As the writer, you can choose the word that seems best in terms of meaning, nuance, sound, etc. As the translator you are unlikely to find a word in your language that exactly matches, so that you are always making a decision about which meaning or nuance to choose, or emphasize, over the others.

I have very strict rules in my head that seem to me to be the way things should sound.

I tend to be kind of literal about translation. I think it's important to present the writer as closely as possible.

One naturally identifies to some extent with an "I" female narrator going through something that you recognize whether you've gone through it or not.

To have the translator be a figure in the book's presentation seems like a big thing, especially for a book that's really popular.

I always hesitate to say that something is lifelike.