Comments on: Vengeance du traducteur (Brice Matthieussent)

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:31:48 +0000

I was reading the other day an interview with the new translator of the Tin Drum (I forget his name), and it was wonderful, he felt compelled to explain that there was nothing wrong at all with the previous translation, but that great books want to be reread — and that a translation can be seen to be just that, a reading. Then of course there’s the third layer of the actual reader. And they say reading is a selfish pleasure!

By: verbivore

verbivore — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:53 +0000

This is absolutely lovely. You’ve taken one of my favorite subjects and you write so beautifully about it. I love the impossiblity of translation, the fact that no matter how smooth, no matter how flawless the translation might be, it can never BE the original and yet it’s entire purpose is to do just that.

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:01:32 +0000

Aw Charlotte, you are so sweet!

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:19:11 +0000

Thanks Grad! I’m starting latin again right now (I studied it for a few years at school, but let it sit for so long, all I can remember is Rosa rosa rosam rosae rosea rosa… That’s it!). I’m really enjoying diving back into it though, and reading about its evolutions and influence on French.
-
Stefanie, you DO know a second language very well — you translate books into feeling for me almost daily!

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:44:13 +0000

What you say about translation makes me wish I knew a second language well enough to be able to do it! I have a coworker who is French and does translation work for a free legal clinic the law school (we work in the school’s law library)hosts. Many of the clients are from French-speaking African countries. When she is working on a translation she will ask sudden questions about what would be the right word for…and she will describe what she is looking for. Sometimes being put on the spot to come up with a word in my native language leaves me stumbling, so I truly admire those who can work so well in more than one.

By: Grad

Grad — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:32:43 +0000

You write so beautifully. I took several languages in school and can no longer speak any of them. The only translation of any heft I did was to translate Caesar’s Gallic Wars from Latin to English as a senior in high school. It was all we did in Latin that year. That was many moons ago. I envy your talent.