Bob Sorensen writes about...
Translations
Don,
Thanks for the quick response on the story. Man, when you guys swing into action... you really move.
I was checking out the website today and noticed your legimate bio; now I understand your familiarity with French literature. That said, I have a somewhat offbeat book recommendation. Basically, when I was young — so very long ago — one of the first science fiction books I loved was The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. (It's a book that was written expressly to appeal to every thing favorite of kids under the age of twelve: mystery, desert islands, neat inventions... no mom's to enforce the rules.)
Fast forward to a couple years ago, where I read a number of very positive reviews about a new translation of the book stating that it sets the early abridged version on its ear. The newer version is almost 100 pages longer, yet is supposed to be a faster read, has a crisper voice and is much more robust. Naturally, I go and buy it instantly. And without a doubt, it was better, better even then I remembered it. A great read and a real insight into how leading thinkers back then had such confidence in what science was capable of doing when harnessed by the right people.
The translation was done by Jordon Stump. So if you have some spare time try to get a hold of it. (Just a thought.) But, based on your background, did you ever read any Verne in the native French? Is it better, worse? How does French stack up in terms of delivering science fiction compared to English.
Just wondering.
Thanks again for the help with my story.
bobs
Copyright © 2004 by Bob Sorensen
We move fast, eh? Don’t look now, but keeping up with Bewildering Stories is a Red Queen’s race — and she’s winning!
Translation has made great strides in both theory and practice since that early version of Jule Verne. And yet latest isn’t always best: it's impossible to match the sheer artistry of a translation done, incredibly, by a committee, namely the King James Version of the Bible. Of course, that committee had excellent models to work from.
I blush to admit my education has been sadly neglected; I've never read Verne. I must rush out and do so! One thing is sure, though: Verne has to be a lot easier to read in the original than Cyrano de Bergerac.
Cyrano wrote his Voyage to the Moon just behind the curve, when French prose was undergoing a huge change: it would fulfill the dreams of the Renaissance humanists by moving away from its Italian models — grand though they were — and toward the French vernacular. That's why I had to make such a determined effort to translate Cyrano not only into English but into 20th-century English prose style. Hm... what century are we in now? One mustn’t fall behind the times.
How does French stack up in terms of delivering science fiction, as compared to English? That’s a big question. Oddly, science fiction does not seem to come across all that well in French. I don't know why. I have a French translation of one of Terry Pratchett's novels; it's very well done but somehow doesn't have the same effect as the original.
French literature has always been profoundly rationalistic and has never taken poetic mystery very seriously. That's why the French have typically found Shakespeare to be a curiosity at best and incoherent at worst. French rationalism goes all the way back to the Middle Ages and, if you wish, Roman literature. In the late 12th century, Chrétien de Troyes’ courtly romance Yvain borrows magical — or science-fictional — elements from Breton legends. But Chrétien uses them for comic effect!
And yet we have masterpieces by Voltaire, René Barjavel, Pierre Boulle, Jules Verne and others. I also think Cyrano qualifies as one of the grandfathers of modern science fiction. Now you can read him on the Net in a modern style, while even native speakers of French would find the original rather quaint.
Copyright © 2004 by Don Webb
