So this year I’m attempting to sort of “branch out” in my reading. By that I mean I want to read some authors who are considered “revolutionary/influential/classic” in some form or another but in countries that are not considered Western. A sort of “decolonisation of the bookshelves” as it’s known.
So presumably these books on my upcoming TBR shelf will not be in my native tongue, I was curious to see what you guys think makes a good translation of a text.
I have read translations I didn’t care for in the past (Butler’s translation of the Odyssey.) But I can’t quite articulate why I didn’t like it and why I prefer say the Fagles translation.
Edith Grossman’s translation of Don Quixote seems to be considered the gold standard of that particular book (and I loved the hell out of it, so I won’t argue.)
But what makes that better than other translations?
Discuss as you like
So presumably these books on my upcoming TBR shelf will not be in my native tongue, I was curious to see what you guys think makes a good translation of a text.
I have read translations I didn’t care for in the past (Butler’s translation of the Odyssey.) But I can’t quite articulate why I didn’t like it and why I prefer say the Fagles translation.
Edith Grossman’s translation of Don Quixote seems to be considered the gold standard of that particular book (and I loved the hell out of it, so I won’t argue.)
But what makes that better than other translations?
Discuss as you like