Recently, I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Yasmeen Hanoosh over at ArabLit. We talked about translation, language philosophy, politics, dragomen and even pomegranates:

One day a pickup truck from the countryside rolled up to a checkpoint at the edge of the city. The truck bed was full, though you couldn’t see what it was, since it was covered with a tarp. But it was a heavy load, you could see this from how low the chassis sat. The Americans stopped the truck and ordered their interpreter to ask what was in the truck. The men didn’t hesitate. They shouted, “Rummān! Rummān!” The interpreter, who was not very good, translated it as, “Grenades!” The Americans opened fire, instantly killing the driver and passengers.

You can read the entire interview here.

من أين لك هذا؟