TEHRAN After the interview with translator Mehdi Afshar, it was Sahabi's turn to describe his experiences in translation and painting in his long and intricate way. Yes, Mehdi Sahabi is both a professional translator and a professional painter.

In contrast to his tough and serious appearance, Mehdi Sahabi was very kind and friendly when we entered his workshop. It was great. We were totally surprised, for we encountered a mini-museum of contemporary artistic works.

Bizarre framed paintings and cubical works on the wall drew our attention. All of them illustrated a man -- secluded from society - whose stare at viewers was meaningful. Yes, he was a solitary artist.

For the first few minutes, we exchanged no words. There was only sweet silence. The beautiful works surprised us. It felt like there was no need to speak. At first it seemed like he was not interested in talking, but we had gone there for an interview. Therefore we were forced to speak.

We had a short and friendly conversation. Regarding his record in translation and his favorite fields, the hardworking Iranian said, "I began working as a translator at ***Kayhan*** newspaper in 1973. My first translation was a book about Wall Paintings and Mexican Revolution, written by Mario de Micheli, and my last work is Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert. I have translated some 42 books, from French and Italian except for 8-9 books, which were from English. I learned foreign languages (French and English) not academically. I mostly translate fiction and novels. I spent over ten years on Marcel Proust's masterpiece, 'La Recherche'."

On the definition of translation and translator as well as their condition and status in the country over the past few decades in comparison with other countries, Sahabi believes that the delicate and complicated skill of translation is like juggling and that the translator is like a juggler. He said, "A good translation is pure and flawless humility. The more your presence is lessened, the more your work improves. Similarly, in a good translation you should rarely be able to witness the trace of its translator. The translator's loyalty to the text in the original language indicates his/her courtesy."

Unlike most translators, who are interested in translating the works of famous authors, Mehdi Sahabi has had other criteria. His most important motivation in selecting a book to translate is his intention and his interest in the particular author and his work. Generally, he has selected unknown authors.

He added that compared to the past, the current state of translation in Iran is more satisfactory and the number of works and translators is high. He said that young translators have high capacities and talents, which should be paid due attention and supported, both by society. It's a great surprise that translators are given more attention and respect than authors or rather "creators", he noted, adding that lack of independence as well as inclination toward the Western masterpieces have played a major role in this regard because writing has been ignored in Iran and instead foreign books are being translated.

When we asked him about the strange personalities of some artists and the secret of their success, Sahabi noted, "Perhaps it seems that the artist is to some extent not normal or outside of accepted social norms. That is right. But that is why he/she can create a new and unusual work. At the same time the most important secret of success is hard work and, more importantly, the artist's dedication to his/her masterpiece."

On the relationship between his two totally different occupations and whether there is any conflict between the two, Sahabi noted, "Not at all. I believe that these two clearly differently types of work complement each other. Personally, there are occasions when I do both at the same time. For instance, while waiting for the colors of a painting to dry, I do translations.