Lost in Translation (not the movie)

[rothko]

fyodor, dunno if you're an ideas listener, but the recent series "in other words" deals with this lost in translation business. you can listen to the podcasts here.

[fyodor]

Thanks rothko. Downloading them now.

[fyodor]

Ok. Just listened to Part 1. Excellent find rothko. Even have Pevear and Volokhonsky as guests on the show. Some excellent insights and explanations. Looking forward to the next 2 parts.

[rothko]

yeah, it's good stuff. unfortunately the third part isn't available.

[fyodor]

part 3 should be available next Monday

[Shadowrun]

[ QUOTE ]
New wife is from Belarus, their translation like our own language has situational nuances. Imagine translating "Ship it crucial" or "Donkaments". Both terms are relatively easy to spot from someone here, and understood.. but in 6 years those terms even here will become obsolete.. and must be explained.

In translating, trouble arises when deciding wether to go literal, or in a way understood in the new language, and in the the new times.

[/ QUOTE ]

did you do anything for her on Women's Day?

[Blarg]

I hope she did something for him on Patriarchal Conspirator's Day.

[fyodor]

The 3rd and final part of the In Other Words podcast is up at the CBC's The Best of Ideas as originally pointed out by Rothko.

Part 3 has a bit of bitching in it re: us translators don't get no respect but all in all still worth the listen to tie it all together. Listening to the whole thing I think I finally get it that when I read for instance Crime and Punishment in a translation I am not reading Crime and Punishment. I'm reading someone's interpretation. Basic stories and plots usually remain the same but the words, phrases and sentences were not written by Dostoevsky.

Translating soundtracks for film is probably a bit easier because good directors are normally saying as much with the camera and the soundtrack as with the words coming out of the actor's mouth. Watching Knife in the Water recently I noticed that Polanski himself did the subtitle track for Criterion. I also noticed that there were lots of spots where the actors were speaking but there were no subs. In a video interview on the dvd Polanski and co-writer Jerzy Skolimowski talked a lot about working on the original dialogue - trying to make it as brief as possible. They chopped out sentences and then words and then even sylables. I guess given an opportunity to further work on it for the subs, Polanski chopped even more.

[zzzzzz75]

did you do anything for her on Women's Day?

LOL this day is a farce! First year got her flowers and a big stuffed animal, as well as a map of the United States and OUR calender.... every year after that, got her flowers, cooked dinner and a big stuffed animal.... I got no balls.. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[jesusarenque]

This is slightly off topic, but I was living in Acapulco when Lost in Translation came out at the cinema. The title was translated as Lost in Tokyo