Translators

[adaorardor]

So I was comparing different translations of a number of novels, and it made me think to start a thread in honor of the people who make it possible for some of us to read books we would otherwise be largely or totally unable to.

Which translators do you think have done an excellent job (however you define that)?

I loved Lydia Davis' Proust and will check out her Bovary when it comes out in pb (actually I thought most of the new Penguin Proust translators, from the Pendergast collective project, did a great job...had been worried about the reports of extremely varied quality but thought them perhaps overblown).
The style of Bernard Frechtman's Jean Genet novels is incredible IMO.
Moncrief is I suppose a legend and while I haven't read the proust I did love the Moncrief Red and the Black
Richard Howard did a good Chartreuse de Parme (and Cioran and some others)

Breon Mitchell- good job with The Trial and The Tin Drum.
Mark Harman's The Castle is much better than the others I've looked at

P&V- the ever-controversial, but their work on Dostoevsky and Gogol seems excellent IMO (haven't read their Tolstoy yet -- and so excited to read recently that they're doing a BIG compilation of Leskov)
Robert Chandler- enjoyed his Queen of Spades and will seek out his Captain's Daughter

I really enjoy the Mandelbaum Dante...
Nicholas de Lange writes Oz beautifully

Bolano comes across really well, esp. in 2666 (Natasha Wimmer)- seems written in English IMO
Margaret Jull Costa makes Marias seems originally written in English, too

Then there are the authors who either completely (Paul Verhaegen, some Nabokov works) or partially (Sebald, Yourcenar) translate themselves!

Of course there are the foreign authors (hardly any English-language ones!) who also translate extensively- Javier Marias, Haruki Murakami, Paul Celan, Elfriede Jelinek, etc etc etc

Which translators have you all read who were either excellent as stylists or in terms of retaining a text's original complexities and idiosyncracies or in some other way?

[hdw]

This really belongs on the Literary Translation thread.

Harry

[Eric]

Comparing translations is a very valuable exercise. It can teach you the various strategies that different translators use, and where some translators embellish or omit.

But as Harry suggests, maybe this thread can be transported to the Translation area where it belongs. Then we can continue to discuss in the right area.

[Eric]

Right, now we are here.

Translations should also be compared with the original. I realise that if we discuss a Chinese novel here, 99% of us may not be able to read the Mandarin, Cantonese or whatever. Then all we can say about the translation is that it is fluent, or limpid, limping, wooden, or intelligent, etc.

However, with languages that are more familiar to English speaking people, someone, somewhere along the line, should compare not only two translations of the same book, but compare each of these translations with the original. Because a translation into English can be fluent, smooth, mellifluous, or whatever word you want to use, but it may not necessarily be close enough to the original.

It is a matter of the most basic logic that when discussing the merits of any given translation in depth, the original must at some stage be examined. The painting analogy is pertinent. Who, in the art world, compares two copies of a painting without ever considering that an original version exists? The original is the touchstone, especially when language is involved and so much can be altered or smoothed over.

[RamonaQ]

As a novice translator with no translation degree and no mentor (yet! I'm looking for one!), my summer reading plan is actually just that - comparing translations with the originals I'm focusing on the works of M.Gavran and D.Ugresic, since these two modern Croatian authors have the most works translated by several translators. While I'm at it, I'll make sure to try and compare the different styles and techniques used by each translator also. So expect another post from me on this topic towards the end of summer!
If you have any suggestions or recommendations for me to add to my list, please do so.

[Eric]

RamonaQ, am I right in thinking that you are comparing English translations with the Croatian originals? What is your mother-tongue, out of interest?

[RamonaQ]

Exactly. That was my primary goal when I started looking for hardcopies of translations. But while I'm at it, I'll take note of the differences in styles among the translators. One book that just came to mind is D. Ugresic's Baba Yaga Laid an Egg - The story is written in three parts, and each part was translated by a different translator.
And answer to the other question: I'm a native English speaker.

[Eric]

RamonaQ, have I got it right now: you're a native-speaker of English, with a knowledge of Croatian, who is comparing various translations into English with the Croatian originals? These things are important when trying to see what things such an analysis might dig up.

[RamonaQ]

Exactly! That's my summer 'homeschooling' translation project plan.

[Eric]

Good. But what does "homeschooling" mean? Most people, once they've got their degree, are on their own, as no one cares any more about their translation efforts once they are not attending tutorials where the lecturer, but not the student, are getting paid for the efforts involved. The real world doesn't deal in course assessment, marks for essays, and other campus things, I'm afraid.

[RamonaQ]

Oh no no - I'm doing this for myself, I really don't care what the real world acknowledges or notices. That second sentence of mine was just a spontaneous thread because this forum doesn't allow me to write only one word in a post. There really wasn't any deep thought put into that sentence at all, and I mentioned homeschooling in the sense that I will be reading these books with a purpose other than sheer pleasure, yet I won't be doing this as part of some course or under the guidance of some mentor.

[Eric]

Good, RamonaQ, doing things for yourself can be healthy. One day, your quiet efforts will be rewarded. I too have noticed that you cannot only post one word. But that can be a good thing, otherwise our discussions would become like telegraph messages or SMSes.

Although I actually work as a literary translator, I do try to strike a balance between all money and all pleasure. I feel that you've got to believe in what you are translating, whether you are doing it for the money, or as a pastime.