Quote:
Originally Posted by Muckraker
British English is another language. Why should we ignore the fact that an untranslated word will unnecessarily confuse the target audience--kids all around the world? Writers won't use complex technical jargon in their children's books when there is another word that means essentially the same thing.
I don't like T.S. Eliot for this exact reason. He used multiple different languages in the same poem and provided no footnotes, translation, or explanation. What he was essentially saying to me--the reader--is that I'm not smart enough to read his poems. His intention was to filter out readers not in his target audience. If he had included footnotes with translations his target audience would have grown.
|
Or maybe he wrote what he thought best expressed what he was trying to say and had a little more regard for his audience than you appear to have. Maybe he expected them explore and learn about what they didn't understand. Maybe he didn't think in terms of "a target audience" but more in terms of the value of his expression. Maybe he didn't expect his "target audience" to have such an inferiority complex that they felt "not smart enough to read his poems".
Maybe he expected people who were confused about or who didn't fully understand his language to research and learn more about it. You know, extend themselves, and their horizons. Learn to eat a full meal rather than expecting pablum served ready on a plate. It's all part of growing up and educating yourself. Which won't happen if all your mind gets is pablum.