In conventional parlance, professional translations exist on a spectrum from “close” to “free.” A close translation reproduces the structure and diction of the original as accurately as possible in correct English. A free translation is one where the translator has taken more liberties. What is the difference between “close” and “literal”? A “literal” translation has… Continue reading Close, Free, and Literal
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My brother and colleague, Scott Spires, has abandoned his old Lakefront Linguist blog for a Substack called Lakefront Review of Books. A couple years ago he lent me his copy of the Wyndham Lewis book Self Condemned. I never got around to reading it so I gave it back to him, and now he’s written… Continue reading Blog news
Escape to Catania
I’m pleased to report that a novel I recently translated is available on Kindle: Escape to Catania And yes, even though the book takes place in Italy and the author’s name is Italian, it was written in German. It’s the story of a woman police officer rebuilding her life after a personal betrayal. She requests… Continue reading Escape to Catania
Why the about-face on Bible translations?
For a time the Catholic Church was reluctant to approve Bible translations; now they are encouraged. What happened? This post is for students, people caught up in arguments about history and religion, and anyone else who’s ever wondered about this issue. I hope it’s a useful introduction to the topic. If you find part of… Continue reading Why the about-face on Bible translations?
Bambi (part III)
Yet another post about Bambi? I fear so. You see, the reader who asked me to compare the old translation by Whittaker Chambers with the new one only knew about one new translation (this one). But there is a another – the New York Review of Books edition by Damion Searls! Searls’ translation came out… Continue reading Bambi (part III)
Is German “untranslatable?”
No, not unless you decide translation is impossible and every language is actually untranslatable. But William Shirer mentions in his Berlin Diary that one Major Atkinson of the BBC did an English translation of Spengler’s Decline of the West that was “even better than the original — one of the few great translations from the… Continue reading Is German “untranslatable?”
Bambi (part II)
See below for the introductory post about Bambi. This post compares the old translation and the new translation; let’s call them OT and NT. My edition of the OT was kindly purchased for me by my traumatized reader (see intro post) from a used book shop in Tennessee. It had previously been given as a… Continue reading Bambi (part II)
Bambi (part I)
I have a reader who maintains that Disney’s Bambi practically ruined what good disposition he had, if he had any. He’s also been haunted by the cold war since listening to the Army-McCarthy hearings in his crib, and one of the cold-war specters haunting him is Whittaker Chambers, who first translated Felix Salten’s Bambi into… Continue reading Bambi (part I)
Translating the British press’s silliness
Here’s an interesting article about how to translate “Pork Pie Plot” into other languages, especially in the context of headlines. The PPP is an attempt to unseat Prime Minister Boris Johnson (who, incidentally, is descended from one of the best-known and most controversial German-to-English translators, Helen Lowe-Porter). With regard to headlines, two questions come up… Continue reading Translating the British press’s silliness
Welcome to Welsh
We don’t need to talk about German all the time here. Let’s consider a tongue known for its siren-like hold over language nerds: Welsh. I received Welcome to Welsh from a family friend who was majoring in linguistics when I was in 8th grade in 1990. He had it, and knew I would want it,… Continue reading Welcome to Welsh