GR translation: White Visitation

[Mike Jing]

First, many thanks for all your thoughtful suggestions.

As you might have heard me mention at the beginning, this project started out as a personal pastime, then grew serious after I found that the recently published Chinese translation was full of mistakes.   They completely misunderstood many parts of the book.  Therefore, my primary concern is simply not to make any stupid and obvious mistakes.  Frankly, a creative and poetic translation, as suggested by Alice, is far beyond my ability.  My goal is far more modest, although I do try to do the best I can.

Obviously, the White Visitation is such a central part of the narrative that extra care should be taken to find the best translation.  I will have to give it more time and see if anything comes to me.


> Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 09:42:59 -0400
> From: kelber at mindspring.com
> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject: Re: GR translation: White Visitation
> 
> The mental hospital/nut job connotation, while there, isn't the primary meaning of the phrase.  It's there, but it's unlikely that the first image that would enter a reasonably well-read person's mind is that of a mental hospital.  The primary connotation (I think) is the suggestion of a visit from the Virgin Mary (possibly the original historical meaning of the name of the then-hospital) with the ironic twist that any visitors to the current incarnation of the place are likely to be supernatural but non-religious (and therefore un-Christian).  I agree that Paul's approach (a non-literal translation of the name) is the best.  So perhaps something that evokes an ironic interaction of the Christian versus the non-Christian?
> 
> Laura
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net>
> >Sent: Jun 26, 2011 7:11 AM
> >To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> >Subject: Re: GR translation: White Visitation
> >
> >Mike
> >
> >I had a thought during the night.
> >
> >Is there a comical phrase in Chinese that means roughly what we mean in 
> >the U.S. (and maybe Britain too) when we say "the men in the white coats 
> >are coming to get you."  It means you're alarmingly psychotic and have 
> >to be institutionalized.  That's the image I think I receive when I hear 
> >"The White Visitation" in the context of what's going on in GR.  The 
> >place formerly, in now sadly gone peacetime,  housed mental patients.  
> >Now it houses another groups of nuts who are trying every possible 
> >scheme they can think of to help win the war. Could you think up a place 
> >name that would be suggestive of that?
> >
> >I do also hear the religious, devotional overtones of a care-giving 
> >facility (like St. Verionica's) so if that could be worked in, all the 
> >better.
> >
> >P
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
 		 	   		  
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