re: translations
Jessica Lynn Becker (beckerj@uwec.edu)
Tue, 27 Jan 1998 03:22:14 -0600
It's interesting that the subject of translations was brought up because we
read a book of Short Stories by Anton Chekhov last semester, and Hildebrand
spent an entire class period stressing to us that the translation had
robbed the stories of some of their meaning. He held the book's passage up
against an independent translator's version and you could see the
difference, obvious and clear as day.
However much of a story is lost in translation, keep in mind that unless
you are willing to completely submerge yourself in a foreign language,
translations aren't all that bad. I'm not sure who said it, but I agree
with the attitude that we should just forge ahead through the vast world of
literature, digesting every drop of knowledge like it was vital
nourishment...translation or not. Just be thankful that books only suffer
with bad translations and not bad dubbing like many B-movies!
A point to ponder: If you think about it, the Bible wasn't written in
English. It was translated over and over again over many years, and I
haven't seen a Christian yet who won't put their faith in the Bible because
of imperfect translation...
jessica :)