Grossman - translation question: obrashchennuyu

[Irina Rodimtseva]

I'd say that "negramotny" is somebody who cannot read or write (for example, 
a pre-revolutionary peasant), while "bezgramotny" is somebody who writes 
with lots of mistakes. Thus, a student can be "bezgramotny" but not 
"negramotny."


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Chandler" <kcf19 at DIAL.PIPEX.COM>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 01:50
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Grossman - translation question: obrashchennuyu


My thanks to everyone who has replied, on or off list!

But isn't this rather more difficult than it first seems? The best I can 
think of at present is this:
"Sensing his faith, reaching out and touching his faith, was enough to bring 
tears to my eyes, because I suddenly understood its power, which was 
directed not towards God but towards other people (OR "understood that its 
power was directed not towards God but towards other people."

But is "directed" the best word here?  I can't think of a better one, but it 
sounds odd, doesn't it?

Another point that has come up: is there a distinction between "bezgramotny" 
and "negramotny"?

All the best,

Robert

On 9 Oct 2012, at 17:42, Elena Myers <myers.1107 at BUCKEYEMAIL.OSU.EDU> wrote:

> Here it is 'addressed to/ directed to (toward)' from 'обращаться'.
>
> Helen Myers
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list 
> [SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] on behalf of Sasha Spektor [xrenovo at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:10 PM
> To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Grossman - translation question: obrashchennuyu
>
> it's "turned to"  from "оборачиваться"
>
> Best,
> Sasha.
>
> On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 10:30 AM, Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com> 
> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Grossman is writing here about an old Molokan villager he met in Armenia. 
> What does обращенную mean here?
>
> Эта душа, эта вера жила в неграмотном старике и она была проста, как его 
> жизнь, его хлеб, без единого пышного слова, без высокой проповеди, и глаза 
> мои наполнялись слезами оттого, что я прикоснулся к этой вере, оттого, что 
> я вдруг понял ее силу, обращенную не к богу, а к людям, понял, что Алексей 
> Михайлович не может жить без нее, как не может жить без хлеба и воды, и 
> что он, не колеблясь, пойдет на крестную смертную муку, на самую страшную 
> бессрочную каторгу ради нее.
> This soul, this faith was alive in a semi-literate old man, and it was as 
> simple as his life and his daily bread, without a single high-flown word 
> or moment of grandiose preaching.  Sensing his faith, reaching out and 
> touching his faith, was enough to bring tears to my eyes, because I 
> suddenly understood the power of this faith, as addressed?? / as it 
> related?? not to God but to other people.  I understood that  Aleksey 
> could not live without it, just as he could not live without bread and 
> water and that, for the sake of his faith, he would not hesitate to 
> subject himself to the torment of the Cross, or to the most terrible and 
> unending penal servitude.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Robert
>
> 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/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> 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/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------




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

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