Ethics of Copying Finno-Ugric Books

[Timothy Riese]

Dear All, (particularly those interested in the Mari language)


I read the comments today on the URA-list as regards the translation of
the book "Marijskij yazyk dlya vsekh I-II" with great interest. The book
is indeed of great value for all of us who have dedicated a small portion
of our lives to learning the Mari language and reading Mari literature in
the original. I used it myself when first struggling with the language and
found it a great help. In addition, I have used it in Mari classes at the
University of Vienna and the students also appreciated the book greatly. I
have the honor of knowing the two authors of the volumes, the sisters Emma
Yakimova and Galina Krylova, who live in Yoshkar-Ola and teach German and
French respectively at the university. In conversation with them they have
assured me that they would have no objection to my translating their book
into English (my mother tongue). A "mere" translation of the two volumes
would, however, not be enough for the needs of Mari students in the west,
as all who have used the book would know. The glossary does not contain
all the words used in the chapters, nor does it include any of the many
recent Russian loan words in Mari. Whereas the latter point is of no
importance to Russian users of the book, it certainly makes a difference
to students outside of the Russian Federation, all of whom do not have a
command of Russian. The grammar portion of each chapter is adequate, but
experience has shown that it needs to be expanded and supplemented with
additional examples. For the purposes of instruction I have already
prepared a complete and alphabetical glossary (both for the individual
chapters as well as for the entire two volumes) and grammar notes for each
chapter going beyond the basics offered in the book.
This summer I will be accompanying nine of my students to Mari El to
attend the language courses offered by the university there and wish to
take advantage of the opportunity to clarify all matters pertaining to the
translation, adaptation and publication of the book with the authors and
through them with the publishing company. It is my hope that there will be
no difficulties with Marijskoe knizhnoe izdatel'stvo as I certainly do not
intend to earn any money with the work involved, and depending on the
publication mode would be happy to let any profits revert to the authors
and the publishing company in Yoshkar-Ola. Furthermore, as I have already
mentioned, the to-be-published work would be more than a translation,
being a completely new and revised version adapted for the use of Western
students and "Mari fans" (although probably and unfortunately lacking the
illustrations of the original). The preliminary work has been done, the
reason I have not progressed farther is that I am in the process of
finishing a "Hungarian Grammar with Exercises" with a colleague of mine
which has taken longer than I had anticipated (and swollen up to about 600
pages at the moment). This latter work should be completed by fall 2008.

Salamym kolta

ao.Univ.-Prof.Dr. Timothy Riese
Institut für Europäische und Vergleichende Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft
Abteilung für Finno-Ugristik
Universität Wien



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