Stories for Kids from the Old County

Hoboken resident Zita Nececkas has always wanted to share the fairy tales she heard growing up in Hungary with her American born husband Mike. She's also hoped the stories could help him learn her native language.

“These are the stories my mom read to me when I was young,” she said.

She looked for books online, but wasn't satisfied with the translations she found. So last year Zita, 31, decided to translate a story herself, a lullaby. She enjoyed the project enough to translate a second story and more. Now, together with Mike, 31, the husband and wife regularly publish children's books under their Kormol Books label.

The couple translate classic Hungarian fairy tales into English, add illustrations, package everything into ebook files and upload them for sale through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The name Kormol in Hungarian loosely means to write, in the way that English speakers would use scribble or jot.

Just as she's learned to mentally translate from Hungarian to English, Zita has also had to physically transplant herself from each country and back multiple times. She was born in Hungary and moved to the United States at the age of seven when her father, who worked in cartoon publishing, transferred his job.

She did not speak English. “It's hard to be that age and not know what people are saying,” Zita said.

Though she did learn English, her family moved back to Hungary when she was thirteen. During the summer before her senior year of high school, Zita returned to the United States to intern at a publishing company in Indiana. Her father had used his connections to get her the position, and she lived with her boss and her family. Though she returned to Hungary for her last year of high school, Zita later enrolled at Indiana University.

She has lived in the United States ever since, and after finding a job in New York met and married Mike.

The pair published their first translated book, Lullaby, in July 2011 and have since added more almost every month. Their process involves getting the help of friends and family and extends overseas.

Zita and Mike will consult with her mother in Hungary about finding stories. Once they decide to translate a story, all of which are public domain, Zita's mother will type the text in the original Hungarian and mail the manuscript to the United States.

Zita then translates the story, line by line, mostly verbatim into English. She then gives the text to Mike, who polishes the text for an American audience. The translating is a delicate process.

“We have to make sure the context of the original doesn't change too much,” Mike said.

After Mike and Zita settle on the translation, she sketches her ideas for illustrations on a pad, which she then sends to her sister in Hungary, who is a graphic designer. Her sister converts the drawings into computer files. Zita then adjusts the images and texts into a book layout. From there the files are uploaded for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The books are designed to be read on an electronic device, though customers also have the option of purchasing a saddle-stitched hard copy printed on glossy paper.

Many of the stories involve animal characters and life lessons, and also share similarities to stories familiar to American audiences. One for example, the Rose, is an adaptation of the Hungarian version of Beauty and the Beast.

“I can see how some of the stories relate to a lot of the stories we have here,” Mike said.

The couple run their business on the side. Both still have their day jobs, with Zita working in publishing and Mike in finance. But they find their translating work very satisfying. For Zita, the books help preserve her heritage. Kormol also publishes books in the original Hungarian.

“Stories open you up to new cultures,” she said. “Hungary is one of those obscure places where no one outside of the borders knows about these stories.”

Her husband Mike appreciates helping American audiences relate to the stories, especially the ones similar to those he grew up with.

“I like to think of the parents enjoying them too, to see if they remember the stories the way that I do,” he said.

Though he's been helping his wife, Mike admits he still hasn't really picked up much Hungarian. But it is a hard language to learn, and there's really no other tongue like it.