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Lost in Translation
July 7, 2008

One of my looked-forward-to literary treats is the back page of the NYTBR. This week's offering was a quiz about translation malapropisms and misunderstandings from the sublime Henry Alford. I lapped it up, a cat contented from her long weekend. Hee hee hee, hahaha...bad translations (like the photo at right) are sooooooo silly. 

Unless you're the author (poor Mr. Alinor Lipman!). 

Don't get me wrong; "Mr. Lipman" and her fellow writers can see the amusing side, too. But when you've put a lot of effort into a novel, a short story, or any other kind of writing so that people will understand what you're trying to communicate, clumsy translation blunders can seem not just frustrating, but cruel. 

Good translation work requires more than fluency in two languages. I'm glad groups like Reading the World and Words without Borders exist, so that we can all learn about excellent translations of excellent literature. 

What is your favorite work in translation? Mine is Dante's The Divine Comedy translated by Robert Pinsky.

Posted by Bethanne Patrick on July 7, 2008 | Comments (3)