Guest Blogger: Elaine Hirsh-- "Well and Poorly Translated Texts"
Well and Poorly Translated Texts
One of the most overlooked and unsung heroes of literature
is the translator. While not always authors, reviewers or critics, translators'
labor allows millions of readers access to works they may otherwise never been
able to enjoy. A great translation must not only remain true to the content and
spirit of the original, but in some cases can even enhance and improve the
literary work itself.
Properly translating any text goes well beyond simply transmuting words from one language to another. Readers may not think translating requires a master's degree or even higher-level training, but it takes a deep understanding of both tongues, their vernaculars, cultural differences, and a thorough dissection of the original text. This is especially true of old or complex works such as philosophical texts, or the detailed worlds of fantasy literature.
For instance, the Wiedźmin literary saga of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and translated into English as The Witcher owes its wide success in great part to the work of translator Danusia Stok. The fact she was able to bring a Polish work in such a vivid and accurate way to western audiences was the catalyst that turned Sapkowski’s imaginative, colorful, and inspired fantasy world into a cult sensation. Today, The Witcher has spawned comic books, several video games, mobile phone apps, and even a trading card game.
Of course, some of the most diehard purist fans of the series question some of Stok's decisions in translating the books. Fantasy literature is widely known for its creative and inventive proper nouns, and these land translators into several pitfalls.
One of the few authors who had the foresight to consider these eventualities and conundrums was JRR Tolkien, who left extensive and detailed translation notes for anyone who wished to interpret the tales of Middle Earth in a language other than English. This was in great part due to the fact that as a philologist he understood better than most authors the challenges translators face.
Not all works have the same luck as The Witcher, of course. Another Polish author, Stanislaw Lem, published his science fiction masterpiece Solaris in 1961 only to have it poorly translated into English. The reason for this sub-par translation was that Solaris was originally rendered into English from an already poorly translated French version of the novel. This is the literary equivalent of playing a game of broken telephone with someone hard of hearing.
Properly translating any text goes well beyond simply transmuting words from one language to another. Readers may not think translating requires a master's degree or even higher-level training, but it takes a deep understanding of both tongues, their vernaculars, cultural differences, and a thorough dissection of the original text. This is especially true of old or complex works such as philosophical texts, or the detailed worlds of fantasy literature.
For instance, the Wiedźmin literary saga of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and translated into English as The Witcher owes its wide success in great part to the work of translator Danusia Stok. The fact she was able to bring a Polish work in such a vivid and accurate way to western audiences was the catalyst that turned Sapkowski’s imaginative, colorful, and inspired fantasy world into a cult sensation. Today, The Witcher has spawned comic books, several video games, mobile phone apps, and even a trading card game.
Of course, some of the most diehard purist fans of the series question some of Stok's decisions in translating the books. Fantasy literature is widely known for its creative and inventive proper nouns, and these land translators into several pitfalls.
One of the few authors who had the foresight to consider these eventualities and conundrums was JRR Tolkien, who left extensive and detailed translation notes for anyone who wished to interpret the tales of Middle Earth in a language other than English. This was in great part due to the fact that as a philologist he understood better than most authors the challenges translators face.
Not all works have the same luck as The Witcher, of course. Another Polish author, Stanislaw Lem, published his science fiction masterpiece Solaris in 1961 only to have it poorly translated into English. The reason for this sub-par translation was that Solaris was originally rendered into English from an already poorly translated French version of the novel. This is the literary equivalent of playing a game of broken telephone with someone hard of hearing.
When re-translating a work based on an intermediary
translation, not only subtext and linguistic subtlety can be lost. Entire
paragraphs end up being changed, added, or omitted. Surprisingly enough, even
after a 2002 blockbuster movie starring George Clooney, the book lacked
a proper translation until Professor Bill Johnston released one in audio
book form in 2011.
It is perhaps poetic works which present the greatest challenges for translators, especially after the author has already passed away and is understandably unavailable for questions and clarifications. One of the most glaring examples of this is the poetic Chinese philosophical classic Daode jing. Certainly the imagery and general understanding of the text come across in most translations, but when a literary work is written in poetic prose left intentionally ambiguous, the end result is an eclectic mix of translations as varied as the interpretations of the text itself. Of course, it's better to have access to a biased or predigested poetic work than to not have access to it at all, but these kinds of translated works will rarely be able to do justice to the originals.
Translators have a very difficult profession, and one often thankless and frequently criticized. While there are undoubtedly better linguistic adaptations than others, much work, study, and preparation go into the majority of them. Readers may not always believe that, but they often simply don't recognize the invariable handicap of moving a work from one language into another. As the old adage goes, “something always gets lost in translation.”
It is perhaps poetic works which present the greatest challenges for translators, especially after the author has already passed away and is understandably unavailable for questions and clarifications. One of the most glaring examples of this is the poetic Chinese philosophical classic Daode jing. Certainly the imagery and general understanding of the text come across in most translations, but when a literary work is written in poetic prose left intentionally ambiguous, the end result is an eclectic mix of translations as varied as the interpretations of the text itself. Of course, it's better to have access to a biased or predigested poetic work than to not have access to it at all, but these kinds of translated works will rarely be able to do justice to the originals.
Translators have a very difficult profession, and one often thankless and frequently criticized. While there are undoubtedly better linguistic adaptations than others, much work, study, and preparation go into the majority of them. Readers may not always believe that, but they often simply don't recognize the invariable handicap of moving a work from one language into another. As the old adage goes, “something always gets lost in translation.”
Elaine Hirsh, who describes herself as "a kind of a jack-of-all-interests, from education and history to medicine and videogames." She is currently writing about all these things for various education-related websites.
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