Pride and Prejudice and Translation

[Robert Chandler]

I am about to go away for a week, and will be away from email, so I won't be saying any more about any of this for a while!

But thank you, Subhash, for this last message.  And it is of course true that most translations of Mandelstam are less remarkable than the originals.

All the best,

Robert




On 15 Sep 2013, at 01:27, Subhash Jaireth <subhash.jaireth at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> Just one last point.
> My approach to translation is from the point of view of a writer and a poet (I have published three collections of poetry and two works of prose fiction). I have also done Russian to English, English to Russia (just a few) Hindi to English and English to Hindi translations.
> Recently at a conference of Creative Writing I gave a very brief paper discussing two translations of Mandel'shtam's poem. One translation was by Clarence Brown and the other done as a collaboration with an Australian poet. Reading English translations of Mandel'shtam I always miss the beautiful sonority of Mandel'shtam's Russian, and not only because the original verse is rhymed. In my talk before I read the poem in the original before reading each of the translation. I ended my talk with this brief remark:
> My aim is not to force my readers to decide which of the two translations is better, but to draw attention on their complimentary nature. To me they appear like two good friends engaged in a heart-to-heart conversation.
> As you see, my aim is not to denigrate the art of translation or to put limits on discussing the art of translation but to highlight that all translations matter. In fact we need to translate more and more and have as many translations of the same text as possible.
> I am sorry for offending some of you with my brash intervention. I do apologise and would be more careful in future.
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Subhash
>   
> 
> -- 
> Subhash Jaireth
> 45 Noala Street, Aranda
> ACT 2614, Australia
> (02) 62517438
> http://sites.google.com/site/subhashjaireth/
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription options, and more. Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at: http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------




Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------