What are you reading

[Otto]

Critical review about the flawed (?) German translation of Norfolk's book:

Stetige Bumser im Rücken
Die Qualität einer Übersetzung läßt sich durchaus beurteilen
Von Dieter E. Zimmer (Nabokov specialist)
DIE ZEIT/Feuilleton,
Nr.6, 5.Februar 1993, S.56
http://tinyurl.com/ynaywt

Eleven literary translators had written an open letter to the
publisher. Their demand was to the destroy the books and that there
should be a new translation. The publisher answered by threatening to
sue them.

"At the mention of pork the place erupts."
"Bei der Nennung des Schweins explodiert der Platz."

-- but you simply cannot say that in German, and "center of gravity"
isn't "Mittelpunkt des Schwergewichtes".

Nevertheless, there's a 60-pages "Journal of the Translator" at the
end of the book which is quite helpful for the historical background
of the novel.

Otto

2006/10/10, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com>:
> >"Barbarus hic ego sum
> >
>
> Exactly what I feel while reading this book. Norfolk did his homework well.
> Very informative as well, i.e. I didn't know that the Romans had the goddess
> of sewers.
>