On Mon, Mar 22, 1999 at 12:01:31PM +0100, Peter Suetterlin wrote:
> John Weiss wrote:
>
> > I read a bit of the German translations of one or two manuals.
> > They're a fine effort. Unfortunately, some of the translators were a
> > little too literal.
>
> Yes, that is indeed a great problem. It was a great problem for me with
> the first translations. You think everything the LyXDoc Tem wrote is
> absolute truth and may not be changed in any way. And you end up in
> doing literal translations.
You forget to take credit, however, for places where the translation
was flawless. Nothing wrong with a pat on the back from time-to-time.
> > Some of the humor or laid-back voice in the English version simply
> > didn't translate ins Deutsche,
>
> Indeed, some of the jokes I don't understand. Not to speak of a try to
> translate them...
Understood. That's why the different translation projects should look
at the *information* in the English versions but be creative with the
*feel*. I've described, conceptually, what the style of the manuals
should be in the new Style Sheet. Actually writing in that style, in
a particular language, is where the translator's work really comes in.
I wish I could give some examples with the German docs. I'm not
singling you out, Peter, it's just that ich kann fließend [an meisten
Tagen ;) ] Detusch. Problem is, the written German I know ist an
meistens ein akademischer Styl des germansitisches Fachbereichs [==
"is mostly the style for the academic fields of germanic language,
literature, and culture].
Hey, that's a good example of what we're talking about: the English
translation I gave isn't a literal translation of the German.
One thing I do recall from my stay in Germany was the difference in
humor. Americans let one another know they're telling a joke by
laughing or chuckling at themselves. This is noticably absent amongst
Germans [I can tell a story or two about this], who use a
"call-and-response": the hearer makes some sort of continuation of
the joke to acknowledge/discover that this was indeed a joke. Unless,
of course, this is an obvious, fall-on-your-ass-funny situation, in
which case all human beings tend to react in similar ways.
> > Translating is a verrrry tricky business!
>
> John, Du sprichst ein großes Wort gelassen aus.
Ist mir wohl bekannt! I once translated apporx. 100 verses of "Das
Niebelungenlied" aus dem Mittelhochdeutschen ins Neuhochdeutsche.
Great fun, but a *ton* of work!
--
John Weiss
On a train, someplace between Pawling and White Plains...
