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Post by asianorange on Dec 11, 2011 17:36:43 GMT -6
I have Gaston Leroux's novel translated by Lowell Bair and it leaves...much to be desired. I was wondering if there was a better translation? Or one that everyone loves the best? I can't read French so I have to rely on the translator to tell the story and I don't think Bair did that great of a job. Of course, I'm not sure because I haven't read any other translation.
So, thoughts?
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Post by salierisantfarm on Dec 19, 2011 14:37:47 GMT -6
Leonard Wolf's is generally regarded as the most accurate to the original French, plus he throws in all kinds of pictures and commentary and footnotes and other goodies. An important thing to note, however, is the STYLE of Leroux's book itself is often very dry, as it is meant to be written in the style of an investigative report (basically, as nonfiction). If you're used to reading narrative fiction, it's like trying to eat a brick.
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Post by asianorange on Dec 19, 2011 14:43:47 GMT -6
Leonard Wolf's is generally regarded as the most accurate to the original French, plus he throws in all kinds of pictures and commentary and footnotes and other goodies. An important thing to note, however, is the STYLE of Leroux's book itself is often very dry, as it is meant to be written in the style of an investigative report (basically, as nonfiction). If you're used to reading narrative fiction, it's like trying to eat a brick. It's not the style I think that I'm having problems with, just the word choices. As a translator, you can either be very very strict with yourself and keep using the same words over and over again or be a little more in touch with the language you're translating into. I mean in that whole scene with the Daroga and Erik on the shores of the lake, Erik continues to call the Daroga an "immense simpleton," constantly. It gets to be sort of grating. And it might be actually very close to the French version but I know others have said that Erik calls him a "great booby" and I did not see that in my own version. Maybe I'll try finding the Leonard Wolf's version. And I wanna read the commentary and footnotes and stuff. (I'm sort of a sucker for footnotes and historical notes and things of that nature....) The style actually wasn't so bad when I read it again. Admittedly, the first time I read it, I was like SNORE...and it took me a while to get into the story and by the end I was like GUH WHAT WAS THAT. But I read it just recently and I really liked it. I just wish the word choices were better. Haha, "eat a brick"... |
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Post by salierisantfarm on Dec 19, 2011 14:51:57 GMT -6
Leonard Wolf's is generally regarded as the most accurate to the original French, plus he throws in all kinds of pictures and commentary and footnotes and other goodies. An important thing to note, however, is the STYLE of Leroux's book itself is often very dry, as it is meant to be written in the style of an investigative report (basically, as nonfiction). If you're used to reading narrative fiction, it's like trying to eat a brick. It's not the style I think that I'm having problems with, just the word choices. As a translator, you can either be very very strict with yourself and keep using the same words over and over again or be a little more in touch with the language you're translating into. I mean in that whole scene with the Daroga and Erik on the shores of the lake, Erik continues to call the Daroga an "immense simpleton," constantly. It gets to be sort of grating. And it might be actually very close to the French version but I know others have said that Erik calls him a "great booby" and I did not see that in my own version. Maybe I'll try finding the Leonard Wolf's version. And I wanna read the commentary and footnotes and stuff. (I'm sort of a sucker for footnotes and historical notes and things of that nature....) The style actually wasn't so bad when I read it again. Admittedly, the first time I read it, I was like SNORE...and it took me a while to get into the story and by the end I was like GUH WHAT WAS THAT. But I read it just recently and I really liked it. I just wish the word choices were better. Haha, "eat a brick"... I understand you completely. That sounds awful. I mean "immense simpleton" is good once, but over and over? Ew. I'm a sucker for footnotes, too.  nomnomnom |
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Post by asianorange on Dec 19, 2011 15:09:55 GMT -6
I understand you completely. That sounds awful. I mean "immense simpleton" is good once, but over and over? Ew. I'm a sucker for footnotes, too. nomnomnom Yeah, it was getting really annoying and I was sort of like, I hope this isn't what Erik's character is going to be like for the REST OF THE BOOK...which he wasn't Thank the Lord but still. I am definitely getting the Leonard Wolf version I'm not even joking. It's in my amazon.com cart right now. Haha |
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Post by The-Savage-Nymph on Dec 27, 2011 4:12:50 GMT -6
Mireille Ribière did new latest translation in 2009. I don't know if it is any different. I'd need to look up the german translations... Sometimes it does happen, that it's not translated from french but a english translation of the original french text >.<
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Post by salierisantfarm on Dec 27, 2011 12:33:38 GMT -6
So...
French>English>German=DERP
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Post by asianorange on Dec 27, 2011 13:05:40 GMT -6
So... French>English>German=DERP Yes it does... |
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Post by asianorange on Dec 27, 2011 13:07:24 GMT -6
Mireille Ribière did new latest translation in 2009. I don't know if it is any different. I'd need to look up the german translations... Sometimes it does happen, that it's not translated from french but a english translation of the original french text >.< That's really odd...hm...I wonder why they don't translate from the original...? You would think that if you're gonna translate something...it would be from the original work rather from a translation of an original work. So much can get get lost even just from the original work to one translation...hmmm |
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Post by The-Savage-Nymph on Dec 27, 2011 13:11:00 GMT -6
Mireille Ribière did new latest translation in 2009. I don't know if it is any different. I'd need to look up the german translations... Sometimes it does happen, that it's not translated from french but a english translation of the original french text >.< That's really odd...hm...I wonder why they don't translate from the original...? You would think that if you're gonna translate something...it would be from the original work rather from a translation of an original work. So much can get get lost even just from the original work to one translation...hmmm It not usual, but does happen... Sadly. |
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Post by salierisantfarm on Jan 15, 2012 13:32:34 GMT -6
Remember how I said Wolf's is supposedly the best translation? Well, that's probably true in terms of accuracy, but NOT in terms of artistry. His word choice is dry, some of the atmosphere is lost, and the second half of the book is riddled with typos, like he just didn't want to try any more. Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' 1911 translation is probably the most well written of the translations I've seen, though I have yet to read the Lowell Bair, the Mireille Ribière, and the Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, and is the one where "great booby" comes up. Wolf just uses "silly ninny" OVER AND OVER AGAIN, to the point where it hurts my brain. To be fair, the translation has its good points, even though the footnotes fail in explaining certain things and the photographs inserted throughout the book as a means of illustration have little to no relevance to what is happening at that point in the text. The bottom line is that it could have been done a LOT better than it was. Sorry about the rant, just wanted to get it out of my system.
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Post by The-Savage-Nymph on Jan 16, 2012 9:38:14 GMT -6
Remember how I said Wolf's is supposedly the best translation? Well, that's probably true in terms of accuracy, but NOT in terms of artistry. His word choice is dry, some of the atmosphere is lost, and the second half of the book is riddled with typos, like he just didn't want to try any more. Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' 1911 translation is probably the most well written of the translations I've seen, though I have yet to read the Lowell Bair, the Mireille Ribière, and the Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, and is the one where "great booby" comes up. Wolf just uses "silly ninny" OVER AND OVER AGAIN, to the point where it hurts my brain. To be fair, the translation has its good points, even though the footnotes fail in explaining certain things and the photographs inserted throughout the book as a means of illustration have little to no relevance to what is happening at that point in the text. The bottom line is that it could have been done a LOT better than it was. Sorry about the rant, just wanted to get it out of my system. As far as I know the Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' 1911 translation is an abridged version and led many people to believe the original novel was way shorter than it is... |
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Post by salierisantfarm on Jan 16, 2012 11:44:51 GMT -6
Remember how I said Wolf's is supposedly the best translation? Well, that's probably true in terms of accuracy, but NOT in terms of artistry. His word choice is dry, some of the atmosphere is lost, and the second half of the book is riddled with typos, like he just didn't want to try any more. Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' 1911 translation is probably the most well written of the translations I've seen, though I have yet to read the Lowell Bair, the Mireille Ribière, and the Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, and is the one where "great booby" comes up. Wolf just uses "silly ninny" OVER AND OVER AGAIN, to the point where it hurts my brain. To be fair, the translation has its good points, even though the footnotes fail in explaining certain things and the photographs inserted throughout the book as a means of illustration have little to no relevance to what is happening at that point in the text. The bottom line is that it could have been done a LOT better than it was. Sorry about the rant, just wanted to get it out of my system. As far as I know the Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' 1911 translation is an abridged version and led many people to believe the original novel was way shorter than it is... Yes, that is true. What I'm saying is that people should go to Wolf for accuracy, but Mattos for artistry. I just like his word choices and writing style better. Now if the Wolf and Mattos translations were to have an accurate and beautifully worded baby... |
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Post by asianorange on Jan 16, 2012 12:35:05 GMT -6
I see! Then I guess I'll just have to buy...many different translations. Haha. To get the full experience of Leroux's novel.
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Post by salierisantfarm on Jan 16, 2012 14:10:39 GMT -6
I see! Then I guess I'll just have to buy...many different translations. Haha. To get the full experience of Leroux's novel. Or you could always get it in the original French and translate it yourself. XD Seriously though, I was being over-dramatic. Leonard Wolf actually does a pretty great job, especially in explaining Leroux's numerous references to music, people, and places the majority of readers probably aren't familiar with. The one thing I would say to do that would really help you appreciate the novel to the fullest extent is to go and see, or rent and watch a recording of, Gounod's Faust. Then read the Leonard Wolf translation, and if you aren't satisfied, seek out the others. |
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