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

[Donna Orwin]

Dear Colleagues,

Before the discussion veers off into issues of theory of translation, I want
to weigh in with my gratitude and admiration for Robert Chandler as a
translator of Pushkin, Platonov, V. Grossman, and others.  I have taught his
translation of *The Captain's Daughter* to several different groups, and it
works brilliantly. 

Best to all,

Donna Orwin

________________________________
Donna Tussing Orwin, Professor
Department of Slavic Languages and Literature
University of Toronto
President, Tolstoy Society
Alumni Hall 415
121 St. Joseph St.
Toronto, ON
Canada M5S 1J4
tel 416-926-1300, ext. 3316
fax 416-926-2076

 


-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Penelope Burt
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 11:42 AM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] SEELANGS Digest - 19 May 2010 to 20 May 2010
(#2010-178)

Effusive, yes, but your reading is perhaps a little unfair?
I think what Olga Meerson meant was that Chandler is not beholden to  
any "theories" of translation, nor to some previous idea of what a  
translation should sound like. And why shouldn't there be great  
translators? I certainly hope there are and will be, and she's  
certainly not saying Chandler is the only one.

Respectfully,
Penny Burt


On May 24, 2010, at 10:43 AM, STEPHEN PEARL wrote:

> 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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