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an English speaker has to unravel and reconstruct each sentence. It makes for heavy going. Although according to Guardian, the translator spent "a few dozen lu

an English speaker has to unravel and reconstruct each sentence. It makes for heavy going. Although according to Guardian, the translator spent "a few dozen lunch hours" on this, I strongly disagree with your point. I've only looked at the first couple of paragraphs so far, but, especially taking into consideration the miniscule amount of time spent, he did quite an admirable job. The reason you find it 'barely readable' and have 'to unravel and reconstruct each sentence' is that this translation strives to emulate the literary style of a 19th century novel. Whether it does it successfully is another question, however, I'm sure you'd be of different opinion, had you spent more time reading Dickens, Hardy and the like.

pnathan 16y ago
Ah, no. Reading that paragraph just doesn't work right. I've read LoTR well upward of 10 times. I've read 1800s literature. I know how good, flowery, verbose English prose goes, and that's not it.
- listic 16y ago
  While we are at it, please give links to some.
  - pnathan 16y ago
    Let's see here, it's been a while... Sir Walter Scott wrote more than Ivanhoe - his stuff is pretty flowery Lord Dunsany wrote early, early, early fantasy. His stuff is absurdly purple. Tolkein's writings are on the flowery side too. The (Anti-)?Federalist papers also have some fairly involved and technical prose. The characteristic of the above writing is that it flows. Also notable is that they were native English speakers not translating. Most modern writing and reading is locked into a school of thought that elevates concision, smaller words, fewer clauses and smaller sentences. There was some pivot around the time of Hemingway to this form of writing, I haven't looked up what happened. At any rate, the snippet the grandfather posted didn't really work in a language sense. Lunch is over so I can't really spend the time to take it apart. :-)
- georgecmu 16y ago
  It's not brilliant, but it's certainly valid, albeit stylized, English prose. Compare the paragraph above to the following. It was at such a midnight hour of darkness and unwonted danger that they of whom I write sprang to arms. It were as though an Hannibal were on our borders and thus viewed; it was a nobler and braver deed than that for which Leonidas and his brave followers are renowned through all historic ages. They were trained soldiers -- their trade was war -- stationed at the gateway of Thermopylae expressly for its defence, but these men, used only to the arts of peace, from the highest motives of patriotism and duty take arms and go forth into the dunnest clouds and storms of war to meet a triumphant foe and face mortal peril. Nor were inroads made upon the foe or successes attained in the East or the West till the Northern armies felt the impulse of these opportune auxiliaries and the Confederacy under their conjoined forces began to yield along the lower Mississippi and in the far away Department of the Gulf.

pnathan 16y ago

Ah, no. Reading that paragraph just doesn't work right. I've read LoTR well upward of 10 times. I've read 1800s literature. I know how good, flowery, verbose English prose goes, and that's not it.

listic 16y ago
While we are at it, please give links to some.
- pnathan 16y ago
  Let's see here, it's been a while... Sir Walter Scott wrote more than Ivanhoe - his stuff is pretty flowery Lord Dunsany wrote early, early, early fantasy. His stuff is absurdly purple. Tolkein's writings are on the flowery side too. The (Anti-)?Federalist papers also have some fairly involved and technical prose. The characteristic of the above writing is that it flows. Also notable is that they were native English speakers not translating. Most modern writing and reading is locked into a school of thought that elevates concision, smaller words, fewer clauses and smaller sentences. There was some pivot around the time of Hemingway to this form of writing, I haven't looked up what happened. At any rate, the snippet the grandfather posted didn't really work in a language sense. Lunch is over so I can't really spend the time to take it apart. :-)
georgecmu 16y ago
It's not brilliant, but it's certainly valid, albeit stylized, English prose. Compare the paragraph above to the following. It was at such a midnight hour of darkness and unwonted danger that they of whom I write sprang to arms. It were as though an Hannibal were on our borders and thus viewed; it was a nobler and braver deed than that for which Leonidas and his brave followers are renowned through all historic ages. They were trained soldiers -- their trade was war -- stationed at the gateway of Thermopylae expressly for its defence, but these men, used only to the arts of peace, from the highest motives of patriotism and duty take arms and go forth into the dunnest clouds and storms of war to meet a triumphant foe and face mortal peril. Nor were inroads made upon the foe or successes attained in the East or the West till the Northern armies felt the impulse of these opportune auxiliaries and the Confederacy under their conjoined forces began to yield along the lower Mississippi and in the far away Department of the Gulf.