Poll #76: Translations

[Andy]

Which makes for a better translation?

[Shaun]

Honestly, I think in terms of translating for the general population, having a modified version that sounds good to the readers of that language is best. If you're using the text for academic purposes, a more verbatim form might be appropriate, but otherwise, you need stuff that reads well. If it reads like crap, people won't read it.

[Andy]

I suppose I mean in terms of non-academic terms and phrases which may have an equivalent in another language.

Like, we might say, "Time is money". If translated, should it be verbatim, or into a more local phrase indicating the necessity of speed? The same goes for poetry which is intended to rhyme. Should changes be made so the rhyming is preserved.

[Shaun]

Probably in the closest local version of the phrase, if possible. Or, if it can't be easily translated, at least a footnote that explains what the phrase means.

Edit: WTF? Did you delete my vote?

[Andy]

No. I clarified what the options were. That might have reset it.

[Shaun]

Well, now I can't vote without changing the numbers. And I'm too lazy to go into the admin and change it. So, you do it.

[Lykaios]

I think it depends on the what the writing is, really.

I haven't read many modern translated books, and the only ones I can think of are the Inkheart Books. Not being able to read German, I can't say what the differences are, but the translation to English is very good.

However, I'm a classics student, so I read a lot of books/poetry/plays that were originally written in Ancient Greek, and I find that translations can vary from good to the truely awful. With poetry, especially, if you read translations where the translator has tried to force English rhymes/rhythm into the Greek poems (metre is based on syllables rather than stresses in Greek) , then the meaning is often lost or distorted. I've been reading a lot of Sappho, a prime victim in the butchering of her poetry, and the rhyming/metreical versions are generally awful compared to the translitterations of her work.

Also, in plays the character's names were never written beside their speech like they are in today's plays, so translators have had to guess at who's saying what, and sometimes it seems that certain things might come across differently coming from a different character, which makes you think whether or not those lines were really intended for that character.

I can go on for hours about the translations Classical works, and I think that in most cases I'd prefer translitterations to the rejiggled versions as it's more true to what the author wrote and the message they wanted to put across. I'm not sure about modern ones though, because I reckon that they'd have to be pretty accurate, and I haven't read enough modern translated books to be able to tell if the rejiggling to other's language/cultural blah would be any better than the translitterations. Though, thinking about it, I know in England we have a lot of weird expressions/saying/phrases that people outside our country don't understand, so rejiggling (is that even a word?) in those cases would probably be beneficial.

[FayGee]

They should not be translated word for word! That makes it totally awkward! For example, Clawfire is currently reading Harry Potter in Hebrew (the Jewish/Israeli language) and they used the expression "a horse load of work"!!! It just sooo doesn't make sense!
Anyway, I've made my point. Thanks for tolerating me.:D

[Clawfire]

yes. Cause right now I'm reading Harry Potter in Hebrew and they translated a horse load of work into 'sus avoda' which means horse work which does not make sense in Hebrew at all… :huh: