Translation thread

Also I've been told the Pevear & Volokhonsky translation of The Brothers Karamazov is Reddit tier? I still love it, but why is [your favorite translation] better?

Smollett is a whiny bitch

Putnam translation is GOAT. /thread

No reason not to prefer Grossman. /ourguy/ Harold loved her translation, and he can't be wrong.

More seriously, it seems the difference between the versions is that Smollett tried to be very dry and not obvious at all about the novel's comic feel (and, on a smaller note, it feels like a book written in the 18th century), whereas Grossman has the comic elements more to the forefront while simultaneously mixing old and contemporary prose styles to what critics suggest was great effect.

>>9868142
Cervante's translation to spanish

>>9868142
both pale in comparison of raffel burton's. Grossman's is still better.

>>9868160
>>9868528
>>9868588
ty friends

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I'd also like to ask about Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Left is Moss Roberts, right is Yu Sumei (more recent). Which is considered better? People online haven't discussed the Sumei translation anywhere near as much as Roberts, so its hard to find a good comparison/discussion about it.

pls

>>9868773
If you have access to excerpts from both, see which one you prefer.

Note things like:
* Readability
* Nuance (does the translator tend to use broad strokes to substitute words in, or are they particular? Does one or the other tendency fit the style of the story?)
* Consistency

>>9868142
Jesus fucking Christ. How hard is it to a learn an entire language and read it how it was supposed to be read?

>>9869496
hard enough that it takes 5-10 years

>>9869502
Took me thirteen (13) days on Duolingo.

>>9869496
> being this elitist
imagine learning a new language for one book.

>>9869606
Your attitude makes me weep for the future.

>>9868142

the grossman translation is not good...

Before I read Quixote last year I compared chapter 1 from nearly every single translation.

I too had heard Grossman was the best but was thoroughly disappointing.

I would go with Rutherford or if it's just between those two Smollett would be preferable.

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>>9869334
Your 'nuance' tip helped, but it was really noticeable anyway. The Moss translation misses *way* too much detail for my liking.

It's certainly an easier read, so I'll still consider it, but I'm definitely concerned by the sheer amount of cut text.

>>9869823
Haha ignore me I'm mentally retarded and missed an entire fucking half page of text.

>>9868528
>/ourguy/ Harold loved her translation, and he can't be wrong.

He only did that because he has a financial interest in doing so

>>9869617
There has to be a sense of priorities. If Allan Bloom translates a dead language (Ancient Greek) in a literal way, I will stand to gain more in less time by reading a literalist translation than to learn Ancient Greek myself. Need I go on disappointing you more? Are you satisfied?

>>9869554
To learn Spanish? Seriously? How many hours total? And how easy was it to read Spanish literature after?

>>9868142
smollett is the best quixote translation

how the FUCK Is this up for debate?

rushdie praises it and my bookstore manager

>>9868528
>Harold loved her translation, and he can't be wrong.

did you read the fucking introduction? it's LITERALLY just about falstaff....are you fucking kidding me?

>>9868142
The Rutherford translation is genuinely hilarious. Truly shares Cervantes's spirit, even if his translation isn't as technically accurate as Grossman's.

>>9868528
>ore seriously, it seems the difference between the versions is that Smollett tried to be very dry and not obvious at all about the novel's comic feel (and, on a smaller note, it feels like a book written in the 18th century), whereas Grossman has the comic elements more to the forefront while simultaneously mixing old and contemporary prose styles to what critics suggest was great effect.

its' literally the opposite, smollett was as close of a contemporary of cervantes as we'll get and best captures his humour

grossman is dry as shit

I'll ask here I guess, what's the best translation for Brothers Karamazov?

>>9870390
Why would you believe someone who posts something like that?

>>9871198
Seconded - reading Pevear & Volokhonsky and loving it

>>9871282
Read these guys for Notes from Underground, can confirm that they're good

>>9868142
Should I read the illiad and the odyssey in Spanish or English? Or does it not make much difference?

who cares

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If you read any other translation you're a literal retard

I read the Penguin Classics version when I was 12 and 13 because it was in my school library and I really liked the book still.


Going nuts over translations seems to be a distraction to actually reading sometimes on this board.

>>9868142
How good are the Barnes & Noble Classic translations? I've read multiple books from their line mostly because they tend to be cheap and I get giftcards for the store. Are they decent translations or should I opt for something else?

>>9868142
the smollett one was fuckin sweet