Found in Translation
Literature in translation is meat and if you are not reading them, you are missing out on a whole new world. Around 60% of all translations are from books originally published in English, but only 3% of books in a foreign language are translated into English. A glaring disparity without a doubt and one that smacks of arrogance? Or is it that translated works do not sell? Murakami, Paulo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, T Steig Larsson are writers whose books sell in their millions. When I buy a book, the thought that never crosses my mind is whether it is a work of translation. I am happy as long as it is in English. All my favorite books were originally written in a different language. And yet there are readers who avoid reading translated works as they have no faith in the fidelity of the translations. They are more worried about what they might lose in translation, but what about what they might find. French philosopher and writer Gilles Ménage coined the phrase ‘les belles infidèles’ to suggest that translations, like women, can be either faithful or beautiful, but not both. I have friends who complain about poor translations, but seriously, how can one tell if you do not know the original language well or not at all. Yes, the subtle nuances of the original language may be missing and translations will always come out second best, but they still deserve to be read over an average writer whose books are bought only because that writer’s work is in English. Imagine being able to read the best works of the world’s six thousand odd languages!
There is another point. Among translators, it is accepted that the best translations are produced by persons who are translating from their second language into their native language. For example, The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese, then translated into many languages, including English. Now imagine a translation into Hindi from the English text, and not from the original Portuguese. Also, while it may be easier to translate works originally written in English, imagine translating an original text from Swedish to Hindi. How many persons are proficient in the original language and the second language. A dilution of a dilution? Perhaps. And then you begin to wonder, is it worth reading? It is, to a point. And this is where English readers have an advantage over say someone reading in Hindi or Swahili. And that is why you shouldn’t miss out.
UNESCO’s Index Translationum is a regularly updated list of books translated in the world i.e. an international bibliography of translations. Browsing through its lists, you will find that the English reading world trails the rest of the world by a distance when it comes to reading literature in translation. Germany publishes the most translations. In fact, the top ten countries are all European except for China. The US comes in at 13, the UK is at 24. Agatha Christie is the most translated author. Shakespeare comes a distant third followed by Enid Blyton! Some translation trivia. The Bible has been translated into a staggering 2527 of the world’s 6800 languages. Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio is the most translated work of fiction in the work having been translated into between 197-200 languages according to the Wikipedia. Among books published after 2000, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner has been translated into 44 and 42 languages each. Among non-English books works, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince has sold the highest number of copies at over 200 million.
I like the acceptance of translated works into mainstream awards instead of having separate awards for translated books. The Man Asian Literary Prize is a trendsetter in this regard as it awards the prize annually to the best novel of the year by an Asian writer that is either written in English or translated into English. In 2012, the winner is Korea’s Shin Kyung-sook for her book Please Look After Mom, a book translated into English from Korean. The biggest challenge is what to read, for how many names are familiar other than a few famous. But once you make a beginning, you can always find a way. Prize winners, book reviews, even most online book retailers have sections dealing with translated works. But don’t read translated books if you are looking for culture trips. Books are always about stories and writing, not anthropology. New experiences maybe, but not some sort of Lonely Planet guide to the Indian or Swedish mindset. Good books are good books, no matter what language it is written. Without literature in translation, our lives would be so much poorer. Imagine what we would be missing and not even be aware of it. Imagine missing the genius of a Marquez or Murakami. What gems are out there waiting to be uncovered?
Having read the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, along with a couple of others, Isabelle Allende for example, and loved them, I now approach translated books differently. I’ll be honest I used to avoid them like the plague.
I am also aware that television programmes with subtitles are becoming extremely popular, and at one time I just don’t think that would have ever been the case. I do need the translation to be well enough done for me not to think about it, I accept little nuances in the language because, usually the story is in a foreign setting and so it simply adds to the atmosphere for me but yes, it is lovely that it appears to be the case that we are widening our horizons – it can only be for the good, can’t it ?
Reblogged this on Elemental Magic and commented:
I always thought about that………..
Translation!!!
Just a few weeks ago I bought an Arabic book, when I found out it’s translated from the English Version.
I was a bit down, I always preferred reading a book in it’s original language. So this limits me to two main languages and two basic ones, “English and Arabic”, and “French and German”, respectively.
I always preferred reading the Arabic novels of the great write Nagib Mahfouz, and not the ones translated in English.
I used to believe you lose the meaning of many things, the in-between the lines thoughts… but a few days into reading my translated book and I am LOVING IT
So coming by this post, I just had to reblog it
So my dear friends enjoy reading it
Hi, R. K . Narayan is one of the few writers whose works in English retain a strong regional flavour. His’ Swami and Friends’ is ample evidence of it. Sometimes culture and regional tones remain intact owing to the simplicity and the style of writing.
Meera
Agree with you on that bit about R K Narayan. And it is that simplicity in his writing that is so difficult to emulate…
Many of my favorite books have been translated. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of poetry in languages that are not my native English. It’s hard for me to know if the translations represent the original language perfectly. So, when I can, I like to get works with the original language side by side, and try to learn at least something about that language. Can’t say that I’ve learned Mandarin to understand the Tao Te Ching better yet, but your post is making me think maybe it’s time I do some work in that direction. Great post!
Glad you liked it. And thanks for the comment! And poetry, how difficult it must be to translate…
Gifted translators are rare gems, indeed. I cannot even imagine how much better some of my favorite books (Garcia Marquez for one) would be in the original language, if the translated version is already so excellent. I agree with Meera above. R.K. Narayan has the wonderful ability to write in English without losing regional flavor and authenticity. Not many writers have that gift. Thanks for a well researched and excellent post!
Yes, indeed. Marquez must be wonderful to read in Spanish. One for my bucket list!
I read and write only English. I don’t want to know (and I think I don’t care) if something has been translated into English for me to read. I just want to read a good story. I wonder if the entire world will ever have a universal language…would we want that?
Perhaps?
A hard thing. To keep our independence, yet all speak a common language? I don’t see why not. Other empires have done it, why not with whatever becomes the next world empire? We can always keep our old language, while speaking some universal tongue. Hmmm, I guess I better go learn Cantonese…or is it Mandarin? Or maybe Hindu?
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who will become the next world leader.
When I was in my late twenties I went through a period that lasted several years when I would only read books that had been translated into English from other languages. Can you imagine the wonderful literature I would have missed if I hadn’t done so? How else are we to get into the hearts and souls of other cultures? I found Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Mikhail Sholokhov and other Russians, uncounted French writers, German authors, and writers in many other languages. I used to comb the library stacks for foreign-sounding names and check to see if they were translations. This was my education.
How blessed we are in our public libraries.
How profound and refreshing you are! One of my friends translates famous French poetic works into English. As a stumbling French speaker myself, I find this unique recourse/talent very fulfilling and have wished that I could engage in this mind titilating creativity more confidently and frequently, which is one of the reasons I would like to migrate to France. I need to expand my intellect and immerse myself in the language so that I can translate mentally and simultaneously without consulting a French dictionary.
One of my favorite series was written in Japanese – The Guin Saga! I randomly picked it up in the library and loved it! I don’t think if a book is translated or not matters, at least not to me! I love a book because of it’s characters and plot. Cheers
I agree much would be lost without translations. The wonderful thing about reading is the ability to learn more about different cultures, time periods, or countries. Translations help us to transcend. Otherwise, our view of the world would be much more one-sided and especially these days, we need as many views as possible.
As tmso said above – I wonder if there will ever be a common language. I sometimes wonder if the web will make that eventually happen.
I, too, do not care that a work has been translated. I read it for what it is. Having worked with terminology management professionals, I am aware of some of the difficulties inherent in translation. Some languages simply do not have a word or phrase that matches the English term or concept. And then there is the problem of expressing idioms. It is a difficult task.
Good post.
A common language is impossible given the inherent nature of human beings. But yes, I read books without giving it the consideration whether it is translated or not. Good stories are always good stories no matter what the setting.
Glad you liked the post. And thanks for the comment.
A really pragmatic perspective….
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
I love your post! Great point.
I have read the same book in Spanish and English (Garcia Marquez), and yhey both convey the same message. Nothing important was lost in translation.
You know, you have a very unique perspective on the book having read it in both the mother and translated language.
Thank you for the comment!