Janet Gesme
Discover life-changing books that feed the soul!
Musician and Translator
Listening Hands
Eavesdropping on the Sound of Life
In “Listening Hands,” Martin Schleske explores the transformative power of listening.
A multi-faceted passionate endeavor rooted in experience, research, grace, and the gift of time, the art of listening with heart and hands is key to healing the broken world we live in today.
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The Sound of Life's Unspeakable Beauty
One of the greatest luthiers of our time reveals the secrets of his profession—and how each phase of handcrafting a violin can point us toward our calling, our true selves, and the overwhelming power and gentleness of God’s love. Schleske explains that our world is flooded with metaphors, parables, and messages from God. But are we truly listening? Do we really see? Drawing upon Scripture, his life experiences, and his insights as a master violinmaker, Schleske challenges readers to understand the world, ourselves, and the Creator in fresh ways.
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Around the World on 50 Bucks
Christopher Schacht shares his incredible experiences, revealing what he has learned along the way about life, love, and God, describing touching and bizarre encounters and insights that aren’t found in any travel guide.
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About the Process
What does it mean to be a translator? For me, to translate is to step not only into someone else’s shoes, but to slip into their skin, experience their life, and see through their eyes. I ask myself: If my authors had been born speaking English, what would they have said? How would they have written this sentence, this passage, this book?
I often find myself at a loss. What would they have said? To be a good translator, I must be humble. I must ask my authors many questions. I must speak with friends and experts to better understand the subject matter. I must continually welcome criticism. Otherwise, I would only serve the process to the best of my ability, and the best of my ability is not good enough! By seeking guidance through prayer and consultation with others, the English versions of the books I translate exceed my own abilities. And for that, I am eternally grateful!
Courage not my own
He put his powerful hand down in front of me and spread his fingers apart. Looking me straight in the eye, he said, “You are telling me that you are going to cut off one of my fingers and everything will be okay, that I’ll never miss it.”
“No, Martin,” I said, “It is more like I’m taking gloves you have worn and tailoring them to my size. The gloves will still have ten fingers, but now they’ll be tailored fit smaller hands.”
Of course, we weren’t really talking about fingers or gloves. We were talking about my translation of his best-selling book, the book that changed so many lives, “Der Klang vom unerhörten Sinn des Lebens;” a book widely believed to be untranslatable.
I had never tried to translate a book before, and the fact is, I didn’t really know that I was becoming a translator at the time. All I knew was that Martin Schleske’s book was getting me through one of the lowest points of my life, and I wanted to share that encouragement with others.
My plan was to find a publisher, and that publisher would find a real translator to do justice to this masterpiece. But, as I contacted one company after another, each one asked for a little more of the book in English: one chapter, then three, then five, and finally the whole manuscript.
During that visit to meet the author of “The Sound” in person, he prayed over my work on his book and quoted Joshua 1:9 to me: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you.”
This courage was not my own. The Holy Spirit lent me the courage to take on the challenge of translating such a phenomenal book. In truth, I was very intimidated by Martin Schleske. I still am! Most of the time, this borrowed courage has allowed me to stand up and fight for the very best English translations of his work, translations that speak straight to the heart. I don’t win them all, though! Not everything that ends up on paper is my choice. But I love the struggle: kneading the words again and again, soaking in the meaning and spirit of a passage, hitting brick walls, praying, talking with many experts and friends and wrestling with the text until it finally feels right.
While we were still editing my first translation, “The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty,” some of my work made it back to publishers in Germany. One of the German editors recommended me for “Mit 50 Euro um die Welt.” When the English publisher approached me to translate Christopher’s book, they wanted a quick turn-around: could I translate the whole book in less than seven months?
If I agreed, I knew I would be working on the book non-stop for five or six months before we started the editing process. Basically, I would have to exchange my life for his. So I asked myself, do I want to live his life? After reading Christopher’s book, there was no question. Heck yeah! I would love to live vicariously through this crazy kid! What an amazing series of adventures!
Christopher agreed to skype with me on a weekly basis to go through what I had just translated. That way he could give me feedback and I could ask questions. These weekly conversations quickly became a highlight for me. Talking with Christopher was like talking with my own children (especially Zeta!). He was smart, thoughtful, and hilarious! What a ride. I hope the readers enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed translating it!
The Sound of Life's Unspeakable Beauty
Around the World on 50 Bucks
by Christopher Schacht
Martin and Janet in 2021
Listening Hands
Eavesdropping on the Sound of Life
It was August of 2017 when I visited Martin Schleske for the first time in Landsberg am Lech: almost 18 months after the car accident that ended my career as a violist. The arduous task of perfecting “The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty” was still underway, and I was extremely fragile, both physically and emotionally. One night while having dinner with Martin, his wife Claudia, and friends of theirs, I had to lay down on the floor right there in front of everyone. It was humiliating to say the least, but sitting was just too painful. I decided to lay down voluntarily rather than pass out.
During that trip to meet Martin, emotions washed over me in waves: gratitude for the opportunity to translate “The Sound,” heart ache to be around the beautiful instruments in Martin’s workshop not knowing if I would ever be able to play again, enchanted to be in the fairytale-like town of Landsberg, and exhaustion from the physical struggle of coping with my injuries.
Martin asked me during that first visit if I was interested in translating his second book, “Herztöne.” I could not answer him. Thinking that far into the future was more than I could handle at that moment.
To me, the fact that I was able to translate Martin’s second book is evidence of God’s extravagant goodness! I pray that “Listening Hands” will, like “The Sound,” encourage its readers to slow down, place themselves in God’s listening hands anew, and receive the blessings that God longs to give them.
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Concert Readings
With the help of her husband, Michael Gesme, Janet offers concert readings based on a variety of topics from the books she has translated. Contact us for details!
CONNECTING HEARTS AND MINDS • LITERARY EXCELLENCE IN TRANSLATION