LL-L "Resources" 2010.12.27 (03) [EN]

Mon Dec 27 22:48:04 UTC 2010

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L O W L A N D S - L - 27 December 2010 - Volume 02
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>

Subject: Resources

Lowlanders,

A little bit more harping if you don’t mind ...

If you or anyone you know and encourage plan to write a further
*Alice*translation, I strongly suggest that you get in touch with
Michael Everson (
everson at evertype.com) *before* you start working on it.

You really don’t want to do the whole job, then offer it to Michael or
another publisher only to find out that someone else had already secured or
even finished the job. By negotiating with Michael *prior* to starting the
job you’d find out if this slot is still open for you. If it is, Michael and
you come to an agreement, you will officially fill that slot, and you will
be expected to do your part.

Also, Michael is the go-to contact with lots of language knowledge and
connections.

I had written:

Most of you that are or will be familiar with this work by Lewis Carroll
will no doubt agree that it is a classic and is more than a children’s book.
In fact, it has loyal followings as well as fan and collectors clubs,
including Carrollian societies, all over the world. It is also one of the
most widely translated works of fiction.

In the year 2015, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the
publication of the original English edition of *Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland*, there will be a large celebratory extravaganza in New York City
which I expect to attract enthusiasts from all over the globe. Among other
things, there will be various functions and exhibitions centered around
“Carrollianea” (my creation?). This includes mention and exhibition of the
numerous *Alice* translations.

Also, planned to be published by that time is a book (of more than one
volume) that discusses as many of the *Alice* translations as possible. At
this very point in time, it includes 97 languages of which many have more
than one translation each. Each language set of translations is represented
by back-translations of a certain section in the original book, one that is
particularly tricky in terms of verse and wordplay, and it is then analyzed
and summarized in an accompanying article. Since my translation is the first
known Low Saxon (Low German) one, and apparently because people think I am
up to the English back-translation and discussion job, I will be (at least
at this time) the one dealing with this particular language. This is not to
say that further Low Saxon translations are not welcome (such as
Mecklenburgish, Pomeranian, Westphalian, Eastphalian, Eastern Friesland LS,
Groningen LS, Stellingwerven LS, Drenthe LS, Twente LS, Mennonite LS [*
Plautdietsch*] ...). Oh, and don’t even get me started about Frisian!

Also, outside of the Lowlands, translations into Yiddish and Ladino are
badly needed. (Unfortunately, my proficiency in both, although good, is not
quite native enough for the job.)

What I am trying to get at here, Lowlanders, is that great things are afoot.
We are working up to a celebration of not only Lewis Carroll’s works but
also of language diversity, and this includes the “little” languages. By now
you probably got my drift, which is an encouragement for you and your
friends to consider tackling translations of *Alice* into further language
varieties, Lowlands ones and otherwise. I happen to know that our Michael
Everson has at least two further Lowlands language translations coming up:
(Mainland) Scots, and Ulster Scots (*Ullans*). I feel very excited about
them.

Please consider participating and encouraging your cohorts to do so! This is
one “showy” way of showcasing lesser-known language varieties. This is your
and your friends’ opportunity to make a difference and have a wonderful,
rewarding time doing so.

Yes, I can tell you that I had a definite “blast” translating *Alice* into
Low Saxon (Low German). And here comes the disclaimer ... Was it easy? Heck,
no!!! It was very, very demanding (a.k.a. difficult) despite being a
“blast.” Or it was a “blast” *because* it was very, very demanding. Please,
definitely go for it if you know English well enough to understand the
subtleties of this Victorian piece of fiction and if you are more than a
“straight translator,” namely if you are an actual *writer *that understands
English nonsense rhyme and wordplay and is up to the creative nativization
job of replacing them with equivalents in your own language varieties.

If you are interested and have questions, please contact our own Lowlander
Michael Everson (everson at evertype.com). Michael turned out to be a highly
appreciative editor and publisher and at the same time exacting one. He’s as
close to a multilingual dream publisher as you can imagine. Don’t even *
think* about pulling the linguistic wool over his eyes! Also, Michael will
be able to connect you with the commemorative book project people.

Please feel free to contact me privately (sassisch at yahoo.com) if you have
questions about my personal experiences and advice in this matter.

Sending you very friendly regards and encouragement,

Thanks and regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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