SEELANGS Digest - 19 May 2010 to 20 May 2010 (#2010-178)

[STEPHEN PEARL]

SEELANGS Digest -19 May to 20 May 2010 contained a somewhat hyberbolic effusion from Ms. Olga Meerson under the rubric of Pushkin's "The Captains Daughter" which I would normally have let pass with a wry smile and perhaps a slight grinding of the teeth, but I find it hard to believe that I was the only reader to have been astounded by one particular assertion which has driven me to put finger to keyboard. 
 
According to W. Shakespeare; : " . . . some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them", and no doubt he felt that by this he had covered all the doorways to "greatness" 
 
Ms. Meerson wrote: "But not everyone is aware of your greatness, who works with the originals without resorting to translations or studying translators' considerations."
 
I am not sure what is meant by " . . .studying translators' considerations", but if I have correctly construed the rest of her sentence, it would now appear that W.S. may have overlooked the possibility of a fourth doorway, namely that a translator could qualify for this supreme accolade by actually working from the text in the original language - unless, of course, this particular case can be considered to be covered by his (Shakespeare's) third doorway. 
 
It looks as if the rest of the translators' regiment have been marching out of step all this time.
                          Stephen Pearl
 
 
 

--- On Fri, 5/21/10, SEELANGS automatic digest system <LISTSERV at bama.ua.edu> wrote:


From: SEELANGS automatic digest system <LISTSERV at bama.ua.edu>
Subject: SEELANGS Digest - 19 May 2010 to 20 May 2010 (#2010-178)
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Date: Friday, May 21, 2010, 1:00 AM


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