It is impossible to enjoy a book if one does not have sufficient proficiency in the language that it is written.
And by reading, I only refer to reading for pleasure, not the one specifically designed to analyse, explore themes and hidden meanings and guess at what made the writer create such a work of art.
I believe that while it enables one to broaden his thinking and ideas, to me, it kills the pleasure of reading for fun. ;))
We rely on translations to read books in languages foreign to us. Literature and books are one of the best ways to get to know a culture, the history of a region and community.
Translations are extremely difficult. The translator, apart from conveying the right meaning which the author was striving to get at, must be very careful to get the image which a reader can readily create on reading the book in the language in which it was meant to be read.
Even a simple idea or a day to day activity can be expressed beautifully by a writer with imagination and skill of the language.
The translator should be able to get the turn of phrase which in the original would sound like a melody.
All said, I would have to say, even the best translations fall short of capturing everything that the original literature conveys.
And by reading, I only refer to reading for pleasure, not the one specifically designed to analyse, explore themes and hidden meanings and guess at what made the writer create such a work of art.
I believe that while it enables one to broaden his thinking and ideas, to me, it kills the pleasure of reading for fun. ;))
We rely on translations to read books in languages foreign to us. Literature and books are one of the best ways to get to know a culture, the history of a region and community.
Translations are extremely difficult. The translator, apart from conveying the right meaning which the author was striving to get at, must be very careful to get the image which a reader can readily create on reading the book in the language in which it was meant to be read.
Even a simple idea or a day to day activity can be expressed beautifully by a writer with imagination and skill of the language.
The translator should be able to get the turn of phrase which in the original would sound like a melody.
All said, I would have to say, even the best translations fall short of capturing everything that the original literature conveys.
I used to read crime novels in French to my crew once a week and then translate it to English. It was always amusing but several times hilarious. I once translated Croque Mort as a dead cheese toastie on a motor bike with an apple green tank. Croque mort is French slang for a Hells Angel.
ReplyDeleteSilly me.
That's funny :)))
DeleteOh Ruby, you are so right.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bob!
DeleteThe best translations may not be perfect but they are good enough to give us the main Ideas
ReplyDeleteOf course! And in a good book, the ideas are great.
DeleteThe beauty of an original work does get lost in translation ... but then sometimes it's not possible to know the original language. A translated work helps that ways :-)
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ReplyDeleteBom fim de semana!
Beijinhos do Brasil°°｡✿
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I guess how well or how poorly a translation turns out will never be known by the original author. Still, I'm glad for those that do translate. Better them than Google. ;)
ReplyDeleteI always translate the translation by google again and even then sometimes, I dont get what it was originally meant :)))
DeleteI would tend to agree with you.
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of people at my university who come from different countries. I often wonder how difficult it must be for the me to keep up since their native language is different. I can't imagine how hard and annoying it must be to have to translate everything all the time.
There is little doubt about what you say. Aside, maybe, from a few technical journals, if it's possible to read the actual words an author wrote ir will always be better.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteYou have raised some very valid points. Often it's difficult to fully understand all that is in a book, even when set in your own culture and language.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, sometime a book is so good that it takes several reads to get the complete meaning and all view points.
DeleteBeautiful Post Ruby!
ReplyDeleteThanks Clik
DeleteI like to read many foriegn writers and have to read them in translation,of course some translators are marvellous and some not so good.Poetry is especially difficult I think but thank goodness for the translators or we would not get to read so many different authors and poets.
ReplyDeleteYes, Angela. Not to mention their excellent brains for acquiring competency in more than one language!
DeleteI admire those who are multi-lingual. I am not proficient enough in a language other than English to read anything more than relatively simple prose and certainly not enough to enjoy a complete novel with all it's nuances. So I rely on translations. Having read War and Peace in three separate English translations though I know that one may get a different view from each translation. Indeed the style of translation may well ruin the whole book for one.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, having just started reading foreign authors translation, I am left frustrated that I am not multi-lingual :)
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