Comments on: The Perils of Translation: Babelfish.

By: Rhia

Rhia — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:48:17 +0000

I read this post a while ago (after you linked it in the newer post concerning translation). Being a Major in English Language and Literature (and having had Latin and Spanish in High School, and thus being subjected to my fair share of translations) I was flabbergasted that someone was actually suggesting that translating is merely copying, and that machines could do it for us.
However, if you never learned languages other than your mother tongue, I guess you might be tempted to assume such a thing.
Well, you might be wondering why I am replying to this post now. Truth is, in reading my usual amount of book reviews, I stumbled upon one for the book: ‘Product Image
Is That a Fish in Your Ear?’ by David Bellos, which is about Translating in all its facets.
I of course LOVED the reference to ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, but it also brought this post back to my mind, and I thought I might mention the book in here, for people who might be interested in reading some more on the subject by a award-winning translator.

By: Weekly favorites (Aug 29-Sep 4) | Adventures in Freelance Translation

Weekly favorites (Aug 29-Sep 4) | Adventures in Freelance Translation — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:03:51 +0000

[...] freelance translation How Translation Is Changing the World Self-Publishing Options for Translators The Perils of Translation: Babelfish Amazing [...]

By: Moonlight-Rose

Moonlight-Rose — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:49:53 +0000

Oh my – How much I loved this blog entry!
I read a lot in english, and there are lot of books I would never read in the german translation, cause more than half of the humor gets lost…
And then I often have those moments when I read something translated and just think that this really isn’t the right word – but the next second I think: “But I don’t have the slightest idea what could be used instead…”
Translating something is really, really hard! My teacher always rolled his eyes at me, when I asked which EXACTLY one word meant in some specific sentence, cause there are more German words which mean basically alike, but are just not quite the same ;)

By: zachawry

zachawry — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:10:47 +0000

I’m sure no one is reading this any more (except maybe Pat), but I am a professional translator and a huge fan of the books. I translate from Japanese to English.

Here’s the thing about translation: Even if the translator is very skilled (and there are a lot of poor translators out there), some styles of writing lend themselves to translation more than others. Someone like George R R Martin, for example, probably doesn’t lose a lot in translation because his style is very straightforward.

However, the very reason I love Pat’s prose so much means that translations of his works are inevitably going to be very inferior to the original. There’s just no way around it. The lyricism and turn of phrase that is both elegant and economical, for example. And, well, the lyricism. That just doesn’t translate. Even if the translator is a skilled translator of fiction, I wouldn’t bother recommending his books to readers in foreign languages, because so much beauty would be lost.

The plot and everything are still interesting enough for the books to sell, I’m sure, which is why the translations make economic sense to begin with. But, non-English readers are missing out on a lot. Then again, who knows what we are missing out on by not being able to read foreign books in the original.

Take great Japanese writers like Mishima or Kawabata: don’t bother reading even good translations. They just don’t even come close. Someone like the modern writer Murakami Haruki, though, comes through just as well in English as in Japanese.

By: Translation & Transcreation « Link to Language

Translation & Transcreation « Link to Language — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:34:42 +0000

[...] it be?”. I’ve beenhumbled since then. If you share past-me’s ignorant opinion, read this blog post by Pat Rothfuss, one of the best authors in the world (in my opinion; he also features on the very [...]

By: Zolt

Zolt — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:31:36 +0000

This is actually a game we play a lot with my coworkers when we’re bored. Take the name of a famous book or movie, and babelfish it: from English to French, then to German, then to Chinese, Spanish, and finally back to english.

We can guess the what the original title was, like, one time out of three.

Also: seriously, translating is HARD. Just try it at home.

By: David Wyllie

David Wyllie — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:15:53 +0000

I’m surprised that Andy B. is surprised that a translator will break “up sentences and slightly rearranged things”. That’s a matter of course. How can you make it sound fluent otherwise.

By: Editing

Editing — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:06:02 +0000

Pat, you are a truly talented writer, and I commend you for bringing the translator’s importance to light. (I have often wondered why they aren’t given co-author credit to a degree for foreign releases.) Because the average person doesn’t really understand what goes into creating a book, in all its variations, it is so common to think that editors, indexers, translators, designers, and myriad others are totally expendable in the face of computer programs that can imitate what these people do. Computers don’t think. There’s no comparison–and no “personal touch” (literally) that can really make the difference between something decent and something amazing.

By: Aiyero

Aiyero — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:47:55 +0000

THANK YOU for clearing up that misconception, at least for this guy. I’m studying to become a translator (of German and Japanese, actually :D), and I’ve spent two years trying to convince my mother that I’m not going to be replaced by Babelfish.
Still working on mom, but the example improved my morale, at least. :D

By: Aparna

Aparna — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:44:31 +0000

I really enjoy these translation, its really great.