Russian accent: investment in footbal

[Lewis B. Sckolnick]

  It is all in the translation. Take a look at Lydia Pasternak's 
translations of her brothers poetry and compare with other translations. 
A Jewish writer from Baku found that her American PhD Translator did not 
want to fully translate her works so no wonder no one is interested in them.


On 12/10/2010 12:34 PM, Lemelin, Christopher W wrote:
> In my mind, the works that made it (more or less) successfully into
> English translation are precisely that type.  Perhaps Russian humor is
> simply too difficult to translate, or maybe this can be said about humor
> in general.  Maybe Russian humor is just too unlike humor in
> anglo-speaking cultures (and maybe this can be said about translating
> any humor).  (By the way, my American college students rarely understood
> my amusement with Monty Python.  Some of it they got; most of it, most
> of them didn't.  And of course there may be political factors in play in
> the less frequent translation of Russian "humorous" works.)  In any
> case, the consequence is that what we get as the masterpieces of Russian
> literature are Dostoevsky and Tolstoy.  To quote:  " 'nuf said."
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Christopher W. Lemelin
> Language Training Supervisor, Russian Section/Tajiki Section Department
> of Slavic, Pashto, and Persian School of Language Studies National
> Foreign Affairs Training Center 4000 Arlington Boulevard Arlington,
> Virginia  22204
>
> lemelincw at state.gov
> 703-302-7018
>
>
>
> This email is UNCLASSIFIED
>
> ||-----Original Message-----
> ||From: SEELANGS: Slavic&  East European Languages and Literatures list
> ||[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of amarilis
> ||Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 10:40 AM
> ||To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> ||Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian accent: investment in footbal
> ||
> ||On 12/10/2010 9:41 AM, John Dunn wrote:
> ||>  Some thoughts on recent postings.
> ||>
> ||>  Olga Meerson raises an interesting point: has anyone given any
> ||>  consideration to
> ||the question why Russian literature, taken generally, has a reputation
>
> ||for being particularly gloomy, at least among English-speaking
> ||non-specialists (if not non- readers)?
> ||>
> ||
> ||I have taught Russian Short Stories four times at my university.
> ||Inevitably, by the midterm, the students look up to me and say:
> ||"Why does everybody always die in the end?"
> ||
> ||They have Jane Austin. We have Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. 'nuff said.
> ||
> ||Amarilis Lugo de Fabritz
> ||Lecturer, Howard University
> ||
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-- 
Lewis B. Sckolnick
The Ledge House
130 Rattlesnake Gutter Road, Suite 1000
Leverett, MA 01054-9726
U.S.A.

Telephone 1. 413. 367. 0303
Facsimile 1. 413. 367. 2853
info at runanywhere.com

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