Translations of Pushkin, Tolstoy?

[Robert Chandler]

Dear Laura,

I agree entirely with your general praise of Falen.  I just want to add that
the line you quote is not an 'unfortunate translation choice' in the least.
It conveys Pushkin's meaning and tone very well.  I appreciate that a
language teacher may find it irritating if students end up thinking that
'khandra' = 'soul' - but translators are NOT language teachers!

Best Wishes,

Robert Chandler

> I just used Falen for the first time in a survey course and found that
> it was surprisingly accurate, given how well it conveys the tone of the
> original to non-Russian speakers.  One word of warning: 1:38 contains
> the unfortunate translation choice of rendering "koroche: russkaia
> khandra" as "We call it simply /Russian soul/."  Students read all kinds
> of deep meanings into this, something which I plan to forestall with
> advance warning next time around.
>
> Laura Goering
> Carleton College
>
> pjs wrote:
>
>> Anyone have any strong feelings about the Johnston vs. the Falen
>> translation of E.O. for a survey course in 19th-century Russian
>> literature?  My sense (after a cursory inspection) is that the Johnston
>> hews more closely to the original while the Falen "reads better."  Other
>> suggestions?
>>
>> How about _Death of Ivan Illich_?  Any suggestions there? Anyone seen the
>> Pasternak-Slater translation?
>>
>> Peter Scotto
>> Mount Holyoke College
>>
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