I refuse to give the Germans credit when it comes to language and grammar issues!
Larry Send a noteboard - 30/11/2010 03:04:30 AM
Oh, you mean how a mere five letters covers something like a dozen or so vowel possibilities, not even taking into account diphthongs? Yeah, that can be a problem (I blame it on the French, actually ) even for native speakers. Might also explain why I prefer Spanish, since the sounds rarely vary (the "r"/"rr" bit being the only deviation that comes to mind).
Back when I was just learning English I remember often thinking 'how you ever come up with writing it this way?' I blame the French too. Germans have much more sensible orthography
I think there's something like 70 phonemes that utilize 26 letters in English, so yeah, the Latin alphabet is poorly adapted for that, especially after the Great Vowel Shift of the 15th century. I just bemoan the fact that most English dialects do not have a proper second person plural form (y'all needs to be mandatory ).
But German as a model? -ig, -ch is pronounced so many different ways!
I did like what I read last year, but I think a re-read will solidify a few impressions I had at the time. Hopefully in 2-3 weeks. Oh, I learned today from Sapkowski's Spanish publisher that they do hope to publish the second volume sometime in 2011, depending on translator availability. Spanish-Polish translators seem to be in very short supply there and all.
I suppose they don't usually have much work so they probably do it in the spare time between other jobs. That's the sad role of translator, especially of less common languages
It's actually the opposite; they are swamped with work, there being so few of them. I remember a conversation I had with a Serbian writer, Zoran Živkovi?, this past summer about translation jobs. He told me that if I were to learn enough Serbian to be able to translate from it into English, that I'd have more than enough work for me if I were to live in a place like Belgrade. Even here in the US, where Spanish translators are much more plentiful than most other languages, there's more than enough work available...provided that the people needing the translations done are willing to pay the $25-100/hr. rates that good ones easily earn.
Soon. I had hoped to be finished with it already, but I have been laid up these past few days with an increasingly bad sinus infection, so it might not be until toward the weekend that I can finish reading the series.
I hope you get better soon. I hate sinus infections, they usually make my whole head hurt. I'm surprised you can read at all.
Mine don't affect my vision as much as they do my breathing and energy levels. I am lucky that I don't have vertigo yet from this
He certainly doesn't "sparkle" here, but is very cool despite (or because of that lack?) that
He takes horseshoes from the fire with his bare hands and wears black. How can he not be cool?
Not to mention his "drinking" problem?
I think my favourite part is the event that made him quit
Yes, there is that. Quite a while to recover from that
You might find watching paint dry to be a more exciting affair
Come on, it's not that bad, is it?
Maybe not, but it is a dull translation, lacking much of the energy and humor I've found in the Spanish translation. If it's noticeable between translations, imagine how it'd be compared to the original.
Interesting information about Sienkiewicz. I've only read Quo Vadis in full (I glanced through the Trilogy when I was in college back in the mid-1990s, but haven't read it in full), but I do recall the translator (from the beginning of the 20th century) utilizing some stylized turns of phrase in that book. Been too long since I last read it. Maybe I'll place an order for the Trilogy in the near future, even though I'm trying to buy very few books over the next three months or so, in order to clear out space in my house.
I think you should be able to get it from library. After all he got Nobel this should made him kind of obligatory library material.
I live 35 miles away from a major city. My local library does have Quo Vadis, but not his other work. It'd make more sense for me to buy a used copy from Amazon or ABEbooks. Not too bad, only $15 for the 1890 Jeremiah Curtin translation. He's the guy who translated the edition of Quo Vadis I read and enjoyed immensely, so I'll probably go for that one next week.
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie
Je suis méchant.
Je suis méchant.
Andrzej Sapkowski, Times of Disdain/Tiempo del odio
27/11/2010 03:24:22 AM
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Bizarre that you would go to a Spanish translation (A translation note)
27/11/2010 04:05:28 PM
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Not really, when that's the only complete translation available in a language I read
27/11/2010 06:54:18 PM
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It's an interesting discussion about that title... "disdain" is indeed somewhat weak.
27/11/2010 06:35:14 PM
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When I have time later tonight, I'll translate the relevant passage near the end of the book
27/11/2010 06:57:23 PM
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Re: Andrzej Sapkowski, Times of Disdain/Tiempo del odio
27/11/2010 09:37:07 PM
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The main reason why I lean toward "hatred" is later on
27/11/2010 09:43:43 PM
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Yeah, there may be a slight difference between Czech and English meaning of the word
28/11/2010 10:49:23 AM
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Now for that passage near the end of the book I said I'd post
28/11/2010 02:35:38 AM
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Hm. I'd actually say it makes me more inclined to think "contempt" is right after all.
28/11/2010 10:50:09 AM
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I didn't quote what happened immediately afterward, as that is a major spoiler
28/11/2010 07:16:39 PM
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Re: Now for that passage near the end of the book I said I'd post
28/11/2010 11:03:18 AM
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Re: Now for that passage near the end of the book I said I'd post
29/11/2010 01:12:58 AM
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I find it funny that all the discussion in the thread is about the best translation of the title.
28/11/2010 10:17:44 PM
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Time of Contempt is closest to original meaning
28/11/2010 11:42:56 PM
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Perhaps, but there's been a weakening of "contempt" in English over the past few generations
28/11/2010 11:55:16 PM
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Re: Perhaps, but there's been a weakening of "contempt" in English over the past few generations
29/11/2010 12:47:12 AM
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You made me want to go and reread this again
29/11/2010 12:07:46 AM
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I'm in the midst of re-reading The Tower of the Swallow
29/11/2010 12:32:23 AM
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Re: I'm in the midst of re-reading The Tower of the Swallow
29/11/2010 01:05:30 AM
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Re: I'm in the midst of re-reading The Tower of the Swallow
29/11/2010 05:02:48 AM
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Re: I'm in the midst of re-reading The Tower of the Swallow
29/11/2010 04:39:02 PM
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Still, seeing as many as six consonants together can be intimidating for some of us
29/11/2010 11:37:22 PM
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Re: Still, seeing as many as six consonants together can be intimidating for some of us
30/11/2010 02:27:03 AM
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I refuse to give the Germans credit when it comes to language and grammar issues!
30/11/2010 03:04:30 AM
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I don't see why; except maybe page long nouns
30/11/2010 04:22:37 PM
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I dunno, some people dig saying "Machtübernahme" and "Größerdeutschland"
30/11/2010 05:53:43 PM
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