NP: on translation (and Han Kang's The Vegetarian)

[Jochen Stremmel]

"Translating from Korean into English involves moving from a language more
accommodating
of ambiguity, repetition, and plain prose, to one that favors precision,
concision, and lyricism."

I would say backwards is what Mike has to do translating TRP into Chinese.
While our author (Mark) is making it a bit easier for him, oncoming as he
is – not necessarily for us.

2018-01-18 23:53 GMT+01:00 John Bailey <sundayjb at gmail.com>:

> Interesting essay by the English translator of Han Kang's Man Booker
> winner The Vegetarian (which P readers would probably like). There's
> been some backlash against her translation, with some arguing she
> makes too poetic a very spare style, though she defends the poetry she
> and others find in that style.
> More interestingly, she discusses how translating more than just words
> and grammar but 'literary style' itself is a really tricky goal:
>
> "Literary style is not simply a mark of identity, like a fingerprint —
> it also has a function and a significance. Function is the easy part:
> the cool, understated prose of The Vegetarian functions to offset the
> feverish violence, to prevent it from seeming sensationalistic and
> over-the-top, a reminder that the darkest horrors are found in the
> everyday. Significance is trickier, because it depends on context:
> What styles are used by this author’s contemporaries? What’s the
> mainstream? What tends to garner praise, get labeled “modern,”
> “original,” “experimental,” or even just “literary”? Translating from
> Korean into English involves moving from a language more accommodating
> of ambiguity, repetition, and plain prose, to one that favors
> precision, concision, and lyricism."
>
> https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-
> translation/#!
> -
> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>
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