translation thread

[Molly Vellacott]

I read this list assiduously but never reply. Moved to do so by ire on behalf of Lewis Carrol. It cannot be allowed that "grooming and feeding is more sea-critterish than reeling and writhing." The aquatic nature of the movement implied by these words is clear, the image beautiful and eerie. Where Nabokov has succeeded is in reproducing the almost exact phonic match with "reading and writing." Great example of the fact that it is often impossible to translate poetry whilst maintaining every connotation, however skilled/ willing/ poetically imaginative the translator.


On 15 Sep 2013, at 08:20, "Paul B. Gallagher" <paulbg at PBG-TRANSLATIONS.COM> wrote:

> Jules Levin wrote:
> 
>> A feat of the translator's art that no computer could match:
>> 
>> Nabokov's rendering of Lewis Carrol's "reeling and writhing" as the
>> curriculum in the Walrus's school for oysters:
>> chesat' i pitat'
>> This is an improvement--"grooming and feeding" is more sea-critterish
>> than reeling and writhing...
> 
> Perhaps.
> 
> But it does have the added bonus that "reeling and writhing" sounds almost like "reading and writing," and "чесать и питать" sounds almost like "читать и писать." In each case, those echoed subjects are plausible elements of a school curriculum.
> 
> -- 
> War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
> --
> Paul B. Gallagher
> pbg translations, inc.
> "Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
> http://pbg-translations.com
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------