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Did you misread that? She's not saying Epictetus is privileged. As a lauded translator of the Odyssey, (and soon the Iliad) I'm inclined towards a very good fa

Did you misread that? She's not saying Epictetus is privileged. As a lauded translator of the Odyssey, (and soon the Iliad) I'm inclined towards a very good faith reading of her article.

Aidevah 3y ago
>lauded translator of the Odyssey For comparison, here is the opening snippet of the Odyssey done by several translators: Richmond Lattimore (1967): Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys, after he had sacked Troy's sacred citadel. Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of, many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea, struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his companions. Even so he could not save his companions, hard though he strove to; they were destroyed by their own wild recklessness, fools, who devoured the oxen of Helios, the Sun God, and he took away the day of their homecoming. From some point here, goddess, daughter of Zeus, speak, and begin our story. Robert Fagles (1996): Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove — the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return. Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus, start from where you will —sing for our time too. Emily Wilson (2017): Tell me about a complicated man. Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy, and where he went, and who he met, the pain he suffered in the storms at sea, and how he worked to save his life and bring his men back home. He failed to keep them safe; poor fools, they ate the Sun God’s cattle, and the god kept them from home. Now goddess, child of Zeus, tell the old story for our modern times. Find the beginning. Peter Green (2018): The man, Muse—tell me about that resourceful man, who wandered far and wide, when he’d sacked Troy’s sacred citadel: many men’s townships he saw, and learned their ways of thinking, many the griefs he suffered at heart on the open sea, battling for his own life and his comrades’ homecoming. Yet no way could he save his comrades, much though he longed to— it was through their own blind recklessness that they perished, the fools, for they slaughtered the cattle of Hēlios the sun god and ate them: for that he took from them their day of returning. Tell us this tale, goddess, child of Zeus; start anywhere in it!
- watwut 3y ago
  Willsons is better, simple as that.
  - zozbot234 3y ago
    In a way. https://xkcd.com/547/ https://xkcd.com/547/
  - sparks1970 3y ago
    Maybe it's a small thing, but Wilson uses the adjective "wrecked" where the other translators use "sacked" or "plundered". If that kind of loss of fidelity/nuance is typical of the translation then it's not for me. Maybe I misunderstood and this translation is intended as an easy-reading introduction for readers with reduced vocabularies?
    - watwut 3y ago
      No, it is meant to be accurate one to one line translation. The translator doing slightly different choices, often more accurate to original does not make it worst. And yes, it sounds better because it is translation to actual English. There is no loss of nuance here anyway.
      - davidivadavid 3y ago
        I had the misfortune of coming across a bunch of tweets lamenting how "inferior" that translation is supposed to be — unfortunately, it seems to invariably come from people who can't read Ancient Greek, don't understand poetry, and don't even know what constraints Wilson adopted for her translation. As a (once) professional translator with some familiarity with the language, I'd like to reassure potential readers that it's a fine translation with a unique parti pris. It's in spirit probably closer to the original than some translations that may be more canonical, e.g. Pope's, but that have been criticized just as harshly (or more) in the past.
        3y ago
Amezarak 3y ago
Wilson’s a “lauded” translator only because of the clique she’s in. In 50 years her mediocre translation will be forgotten in the dustbin of history.

Did you misread that? She's not saying Epictetus is privileged. As a lauded translator of the Odyssey, (and soon the Iliad) I'm inclined towards a very good faith reading of her article.

Aidevah 3y ago

>lauded translator of the Odyssey For comparison, here is the opening snippet of the Odyssey done by several translators: Richmond Lattimore (1967): Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys, after he had sacked Troy's sacred citadel. Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of, many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea, struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his companions. Even so he could not save his companions, hard though he strove to; they were destroyed by their own wild recklessness, fools, who devoured the oxen of Helios, the Sun God, and he took away the day of their homecoming. From some point here, goddess, daughter of Zeus, speak, and begin our story. Robert Fagles (1996): Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove — the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return. Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus, start from where you will —sing for our time too. Emily Wilson (2017): Tell me about a complicated man. Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy, and where he went, and who he met, the pain he suffered in the storms at sea, and how he worked to save his life and bring his men back home. He failed to keep them safe; poor fools, they ate the Sun God’s cattle, and the god kept them from home. Now goddess, child of Zeus, tell the old story for our modern times. Find the beginning. Peter Green (2018): The man, Muse—tell me about that resourceful man, who wandered far and wide, when he’d sacked Troy’s sacred citadel: many men’s townships he saw, and learned their ways of thinking, many the griefs he suffered at heart on the open sea, battling for his own life and his comrades’ homecoming. Yet no way could he save his comrades, much though he longed to— it was through their own blind recklessness that they perished, the fools, for they slaughtered the cattle of Hēlios the sun god and ate them: for that he took from them their day of returning. Tell us this tale, goddess, child of Zeus; start anywhere in it!

watwut 3y ago
Willsons is better, simple as that.
- zozbot234 3y ago
  In a way. https://xkcd.com/547/ https://xkcd.com/547/
- sparks1970 3y ago
  Maybe it's a small thing, but Wilson uses the adjective "wrecked" where the other translators use "sacked" or "plundered". If that kind of loss of fidelity/nuance is typical of the translation then it's not for me. Maybe I misunderstood and this translation is intended as an easy-reading introduction for readers with reduced vocabularies?
  - watwut 3y ago
    No, it is meant to be accurate one to one line translation. The translator doing slightly different choices, often more accurate to original does not make it worst. And yes, it sounds better because it is translation to actual English. There is no loss of nuance here anyway.
    - davidivadavid 3y ago
      I had the misfortune of coming across a bunch of tweets lamenting how "inferior" that translation is supposed to be — unfortunately, it seems to invariably come from people who can't read Ancient Greek, don't understand poetry, and don't even know what constraints Wilson adopted for her translation. As a (once) professional translator with some familiarity with the language, I'd like to reassure potential readers that it's a fine translation with a unique parti pris. It's in spirit probably closer to the original than some translations that may be more canonical, e.g. Pope's, but that have been criticized just as harshly (or more) in the past.
      - 3y ago

Amezarak 3y ago

Wilson’s a “lauded” translator only because of the clique she’s in. In 50 years her mediocre translation will be forgotten in the dustbin of history.