Quote:
Originally Posted by ekster
A lot.
I'm lucky as I can read in both Russian and French. I've read some of Dostoevsky's works in Russian, and I looked over at the translations, and there's a world of difference. A lot of things simply cannot be translated and completely lose their meaning when they're written in English. A lot of people are also not used to the way the names get shortened or use, or the way people talk/write in Russian (especially novels from the 19th/early 20th century, when language was one of the most (if not the most) important things in the Russian culture and the criteria for a good work was extremely strict, anything containing more than 2-3 mistakes, having the slightest unprofessional tone, etc. was considered trash and thrown out on the spot.)
Same thing with French. Les Misérables really takes someone understanding French to really read the novel. No matter how hard someone tries to translate it, the language just cannot translate well.
Another perfect example for me is The Three Musketeers. It's (now) my favourite book ever. It's also my first book I've ever read. And while it was my favourite story ever, I really struggled with the book at first because I read it in Russian (it also didn't help that it was written for adults and I read it when I was 6 years old... but that's another story.) I re-read it again in Russian when I was older (10-12?) and I enjoyed it more, but it was still not an easy read. I then read it in English in my teenage years, and that made me question why I even liked it in the first place. And sometime later, I actually got the French version and finally read the original. What a difference! It actually became my favourite book ever at that point.
So yeah, translation is another thing to keep in mind. I'm not saying people shouldn't read translated work, but I don't think kids in highschool/college are ready to appreciate a translated book at that age and understand the differences compared to the language they're currently used to.
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I really envy your ability to read in Russian and French, as well as in English. If I could read Russian, I might have another go at "Crime and Punishment" to see how I found it! Unfortunately I can't - but I have read a number of Russian authors in translation and find the Slavic culture and mind-set fascinating. In the same way, I love Russian music also.
In many ways, I think reading translations of literature might work better for high school/university students in conjunction with studying the history of the particular country or area, rather than studying it in an English class. It seems to me that literature, art and history are so inextricably entwined that for the outsider to the culture, each helps with the understanding of the others.
Sorry, this is going away from the original topic, but it's a really interesting discussion!