The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Yes, it's that good! Photo credit: www.pexels.com As a former translator, I rarely had the chance to see my work in a real-world setting. Yes, I knew it was being used in some capacity by people I'd never meet though it's a far cry from immediate gratification or a direct link. I still enjoyed the work enormously but sometimes think translation is easy to overlook. In honor of my beloved former profession and its impact on my life, here's how I continue to appreciate it and faceless linguists every-where.
1. Lyric Translation It's hard to compare anything to the power of music and I do realize much of the credit is due to the singers/ musicians themselves. However, if it weren't for ALL the voluntary translations gifted to the world, we wouldn't be able to enjoy foreign music on the same level. Besides, it's a wonderful tool for aspiring translators, interpreters or language learners as they chip away at their practice. What could be better? On this topic, I'd especially like to sing the praises of Ripper Roo of lyricstranslate.com for his (or her!) Arabic to English translation of Tebassam by Asma Lmnawar. Kudos to Asma's music as always and this song in particular for inspiring my spontaneous post! 2. Poetry Translation I've said it before and I'll say it again: Arabs have breathtaking poetry. I only know this in detail thanks to the enormous efforts of Salma Khadra Jayyusi. She took it upon herself to translate the works of countless contemporary Arabic poets into English much to the benefit of linguaphiles like me. I can say from experience that precise word choice is challenging under the best of circumstances. Her work in the comparatively more subtle genre of poetry never disappoints. 3. Literary Translation Lately, I've been very interested in following other translators' conversations regarding literary translation. After a while of doing more standard documents, my guess is many of us dream of more unusual content like literary translation for a change of pace. However, I can also say as a discerning reader of translated fiction that tons of linguists fall short of perfection. Finding the right tone for emotional content and cultural nuance requires ridiculous skill and investment. For what it's worth, Haruki Murakami and/or his publishers have done an excellent job of hiring appropriate Japanese to English translators for the task. I'm not actually sure if his books are handled consistently by the same person or people though every one I've read reads beautifully in English. 4. Comically Terrible Translations I find myself getting worked up over bad writing and shitty translations on a regular basis. Surprise, surprise! (Why don't content writers care more about deliberate writing?! I'm not sure they even read for fun, tbh.) That said, a translation so terrible it practically vomits does get the best of me. I don't have to tell you David Sedaris capitalized on hilariously awful translations for our immense enjoyment. To that end, here's to cringe-worthy turns of phrase the world over. Final Thoughts Translation may matter less to you than the price of tea in China. That's cool. I, on the other hand, am only too happy to reminisce about the niche and its individual subcategories until the cows come home. Got any other linguistic tidbits on your mind including personal favorites in literary translation? Any Arabic poets I should add to the collection? I'd love to hear them. In the meantime, here's to enjoying our multilingual world however you see fit.
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AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
April 2022
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