Two unfinished paragraphs force a translator to discuss a hidden radio-training application with the mentor he fears disappointing.
01Read the Arabic story
الْمُرْشِدُ الَّذِي خِفْتُ أَنْ أُخَيِّبَ أَمَلَهُ
لَمْ أَكُنْ أَخَافُ تَعْلِيقَ أُسْتَاذِي عَلَى تَرْجَمَتِي بِقَدْرِ مَا أَخَافُ سُؤَالَهُ عَنْ خُطَطِي. كَانَ حَامِدٌ قَدْ رَشَّحَنِي لِعَمَلِي الْأَوَّلِ، وَمَا زَالَ يَقْرَأُ مَا أَكْتُبُ بِعِنَايَةٍ بِقَلَمِهِ الْأَزْرَقِ. وَفِي كُلِّ لِقَاءٍ، كُنْتُ أَتَحَدَّثُ عَنْ كُتُبٍ أُرِيدُ تَرْجَمَتَهَا، وَأُخْفِي اسْتِمَارَةَ التَّدْرِيبِ فِي الْإِنْتَاجِ الْإِذَاعِيِّ تَحْتَ أَوْرَاقِي.
يَوْمَ الْمُرَاجَعَةِ، حَمَلْتُ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ صَفْحَةً فِي مِلَفٍّ أَخْضَرَ. وَعَدْتُ النَّاشِرَ بِتَسْلِيمِهَا فِي نِهَايَةِ الْأُسْبُوعِ، وَكَانَ زَمِيلِي يَنْتَظِرُهَا لِمُرَاجَعَةِ النُّسْخَةِ الْأَخِيرَةِ. بَقِيَتْ فِيهَا فِقْرَتَانِ لَمْ أُتِمَّ تَرْجَمَتَهُمَا، لِأَنَّنِي كُنْتُ أُعِدُّ تَسْجِيلًا لِلتَّقَدُّمِ إِلَى التَّدْرِيبِ. سَأَلَنِي حَامِدٌ عَنِ الْفَرَاغَيْنِ، فَأَخَذْتُ أَشْرَحُ صُعُوبَةَ النَّصِّ. كَانَ النَّصُّ صَعْبًا حَقًّا، لَكِنَّ هَذَا الْجَوَابَ أَخْفَى مَا فَعَلْتُ بِالْوَقْتِ الْمُخَصَّصِ لَهُ.
وَضَعَ قَلَمَهُ عَلَى الْمِلَفِّ وَسَأَلَ: هَلْ مَا زِلْتَ تُرِيدُ هَذَا الْعَمَلَ؟ أَخْرَجْتُ الِاسْتِمَارَةَ، وَقُلْتُ إِنَّنِي أُحِبُّ جَعْلَ الْحِوَارِ مَسْمُوعًا، لَا مَكْتُوبًا فَقَطْ. تَوَقَّعْتُ أَنْ يَذْكُرَ السَّاعَاتِ الَّتِي أَنْفَقَهَا مَعِي. لَكِنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَنْ مَوْعِدِ التَّدْرِيبِ، ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَى الْفِقْرَتَيْنِ: مَنْ سَيُكْمِلُ هَذَا قَبْلَ النَّشْرِ؟
قُلْتُ إِنَّنِي سَأُكْمِلُهُ، وَطَلَبْتُ أَنْ أُسَلِّمَ الْعَمَلَ التَّالِيَ إِلَى زَمِيلٍ. لَمْ يُوَافِقْ حَامِدٌ عَلَى تَرْكِ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَوْرًا؛ اقْتَرَحَ أُسْبُوعًا لِتَسْلِيمِ الْمُلَاحَظَاتِ وَمُرَاجَعَةِ الْأَسْمَاءِ. سَأَلْتُهُ عَمَّا يَتَوَقَّعُهُ مِنِّي، فَقَالَ: أَنْ تَصْفَ مَا تَسْتَطِيعُ إِكْمَالَهُ بِدِقَّةٍ، لَا أَنْ تُشْبِهَنِي. كَتَبْتُ الْمَوَاعِيدَ عَلَى بِطَاقَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ. كَانَ ذَلِكَ أَثْقَلَ مِنْ عِبَارَةِ تَشْجِيعٍ، وَأَخَفَّ مِنَ الدَّيْنِ الَّذِي تَخَيَّلْتُهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ.
عِنْدَ الْبَابِ، سَأَلْتُهُ إِنْ كَانَ يَرَى اخْتِيَارِي خَطَأً. قَالَ إِنَّهُ لَا يَعْرِفُ بَعْدُ، وَطَلَبَ أَنْ أُسْمِعَهُ التَّسْجِيلَ. لَنْ أَتْرُكَ الصَّفَحَاتِ نَاقِصَةً، وَلَكِنَّنِي لَنْ أَسْتَخْدِمَ إِكْمَالَهَا حُجَّةً لِتَأْجِيلِ إِرْسَالِ الِاسْتِمَارَةِ. أَعَدْتُ الْبِطَاقَةَ إِلَى الْمِلَفِّ، وَحَمَلْتُ مَعِي الْقَلَمَ الْأَزْرَقَ الَّذِي نَسِيتُ أَنْ أُعِيدَهُ إِلَيْهِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I was less afraid of my mentor’s comments on my translation than of his question about my plans. Hamid had recommended me for my first job and still carefully read what I wrote with his blue pencil. At every meeting I talked about books I wanted to translate, hiding the application for training in radio production beneath my papers.
On the day of the review, I carried twelve pages in a green folder. I had promised the publisher to deliver them at the end of the week, and my colleague was waiting for them to review the final version. Two paragraphs remained untranslated because I had been preparing a recording for the training application. Hamid asked about the two gaps, and I began explaining the text’s difficulty. It really was difficult, but that answer concealed what I had done with the time allocated to it.
He placed his pencil on the folder and asked, “Do you still want this work?” I took out the application and said I liked making dialogue heard, not only written. I expected him to mention the hours he had spent with me. Instead he asked when the training began, then returned to the two paragraphs: “Who will finish this before publication?”
I said I would finish it and asked to hand the next assignment to a colleague. Hamid did not agree to dropping everything immediately: he proposed a week for handing over the notes and checking the names. I asked what he expected of me. He said, “To describe exactly what you can complete, not to resemble me.” I wrote the dates on a small card. That was heavier than a word of encouragement and lighter than the debt I had imagined before speaking.
At the door I asked whether he thought my choice was a mistake. He said he did not know yet and asked to hear the recording. I will not leave the pages incomplete, but neither will I use completing them as an excuse to postpone submitting the application. I put the card back in the folder and carried away the blue pencil I had forgotten to return to him.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| رَشَّحَنِي | recommended me |
| بِعِنَايَةٍ | carefully |
| وَأُخْفِي | and I hide |
| مِلَفٍّ أَخْضَرَ | a green folder |
| الْمُخَصَّصِ لَهُ | allocated to it |
| الْفَرَاغَيْنِ | the two gaps |
| أَنْفَقَهَا | he spent them |
| الْعَمَلَ التَّالِيَ | the next assignment |
| لِتَسْلِيمِ الْمُلَاحَظَاتِ | for handing over the notes |
| حُجَّةً لِتَأْجِيلِ | an excuse to postpone |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Follow the details, shifts in perspective and limits of what the characters know. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- The narrator’s explanation about a difficult text is true but conceals time he spent on a new direction.
- Hamid expects a clear completion and handover plan; his request to hear the recording does not guarantee the new path will succeed.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ يُوَافِقْ حَامِدٌ
Read lam with the imperfect verb to negate Hamid’s agreement to dropping everything immediately.
Lan in Arabic: How to Say “Will Not”
لَنْ أَتْرُكَ الصَّفَحَاتِ نَاقِصَةً
Use lan with the subjunctive to express the narrator’s future commitment not to leave the pages incomplete.
