GR translation: Maybe not now.

[Jochen Stremmel]

All I'm saying is: as long as you don't know without a shadow of a doubt
what the author meant YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED as a translator to make
something as ambiguous as that less so.

And that Mike's questions are a blessing for this list have I said long ago.

2016-12-03 19:26 GMT+01:00 <kelber at mindspring.com>:

> "Perhaps he doesn't feel that way anymore." [now that his wife has been
> forcibly given an abortion, he's decided to rejoin the resistance.]
>
> "This is not a good time to talk about this, Enzian." [Enzian, old
> bastard, you really are out of touch.]
>
> It's easy to imagine that the two interpretations would have very
> different translations. DId Pynchon mean for these words to be ambiguous? I
> don't see the ambiguity leading to any mind-expanding tangents.
> From the context, the first interpretation, as Protoman says, seems the
> right one.
>
> Mike Jing's text-parsing questions are about the best thing happening on
> the p-list. Thanks, Mike, and keep 'em coming!
>
> Laura
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: John Bailey
> >Sent: Dec 3, 2016 5:13 AM
> >To: Mike Jing
> >Cc: Mark Kohut , Pynchon Mailing List
> >Subject: Re: GR translation: Maybe not now.
> >
> >An experiment regarding translation vs interpretation: can anyone on
> >the list rephrase *in English* this simple three-word quote without
> >reusing any of its terms, and retain the same ambiguity, implications,
> >valencies?
> >
> >On Sat, Dec 3, 2016 at 5:34 PM, Mike Jing wrote:
> >> That was what I was thinking the first time. Thanks for taking the
> >> time to clarify it for me, Mark.
> >>
> >> On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 7:11 AM, Mark Kohut wrote:
> >>> Let me lead by saying I second Protomen's straightforward reading as I
> >>> reflect.
> >>>
> >>> But, in the spirit of Mike asking for readings, 'interpretations' of
> what is
> >>> in English, as remarked,
> >>> perhaps open-endedly ambiguous, I will add one way I have read this
> over the
> >>> years.
> >>>
> >>> Because of the line that follows, the same paragraph, not what could
> easily
> >>> have been a different paragraph
> >>> since one "rule" of writing is that words spoken 'should' have their
> own
> >>> paragraph to show that the thought
> >>> they express ends, I have often read "Maybe not now" as spoken very
> >>> tight-lippedly..."stares him hard as fists"
> >>> ..controlled anger as in middle class life one person will 'hiss' to
> >>> another, "Not now", meaning we won't talk about that NOW, in this
> situation.
> >>>
> >>> Controlled anger that 'says', "you bring that up so innocently? With
> that
> >>> (stupid) 'Really?' and stupid remark since
> >>> you should KNOW now"....
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 2:42 AM, Mike Jing
> >>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks. That's what I meant the second time.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 2:19 AM, Protomen wrote:
> >>>> >
> >>>> > I'd assume the more straightforward:
> >>>> > "(the fact that Pavel swore off that) maybe doesn't apply, in the
> >>>> > current
> >>>> > situation"
> >>>> > with the "maybe" a euphemism, hence Enzian feeling out of touch.
> >>>> >
> >>>> > -------- Original Message --------
> >>>> > Subject: GR translation: Maybe not now.
> >>>> > Local Time: 1 décembre 2016 6:59 PM
> >>>> > UTC Time: 1 décembre 2016 17:59
> >>>> > From: gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com
> >>>> > To: Pynchon Mailing List
> >>>> >
> >>>> > V519.9-18, P528.2-11 Pavel and Maria meant to have the child. Then
> >>>> > Josef Ombindi and his people started their visiting. They have
> learned
> >>>> > their vulturehood from the Christian missionaries. They keep lists
> of
> >>>> > all the women of childbearing age. Any pregnancy is an invitation to
> >>>> > hover, to tune in, to swoop. They will use threats, casuistry,
> >>>> > physical seduction—there’s an arsenal of techniques. Washing-blue is
> >>>> > the abortifacient of choice.
> >>>> > “The refinery,” suggests Andreas Orukambe.
> >>>> > “Really? I thought he’d sworn off that.”
> >>>> > “Maybe not now.” The girl’s brother stares him hard as fists.
> >>>> > Enzian, old bastard, you really are out of touch . . . .
> >>>> >
> >>>> > What does Christian mean by “Maybe not now” here? Is he asking
> Enzian
> >>>> > to drop the subject?
> >>>> > -
> >>>> > Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
> >>>> >
> >>>> >
> >>>> -
> >>>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
> >>>
> >>>
> >> -
> >> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
> >-
> >Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
>
> - Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>
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