Quote:
Originally Posted by James_Wilde
As far as translations are concerned, they are the only way we can be aware of what is being written and by whom in languages which we don't ourselves speak.
The point is the original author hopefully had a story to tell and/or a point to make, and these, of course, should not be lost. But assuming that these elements are present, it's the quality of the target language which is important, not the accuracy of the translation. There are no two languages which are 100% lexically equivalent, not even variations of English, so however good the translator is, one is never going to experience all the nuances of language used in the original. So why not enjoy a good story in one's own language?
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Oh, I completely agree. Eg, "The Count of Monte Cristo" is one of my favourite novels, and I'd recommend its translation to anyone as a cracking good read.
My point is, though, that much as I enjoy the English translation of "The Count of Monte Cristo", I don't feel able to make any judgement of the merits of Dumas as an author because I have no idea how much of what I'm reading is Dumas' work, and how much is that of the anonymous translator of the 1847 English translation.