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From: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Subject: Novel Translations (Was: Re: BBC2's Anti-Welsh Newsnight Programme)
Message-ID: <E7ztK8.Dy9@scn.org>
Sender: news@scn.org
Reply-To: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Organization: Seattle Community Network
References: <5hjrop$fe7@freenet-news.carleton.ca>  
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 04:24:07 GMT
Lines: 37


In a previous article, ah514@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Manuel M Campagna) says:

>In Article 38431 Richard Caley <rjc@cstr.ed.ac.uk> typed recently :
><<
>Don HARLOW wrote:
>> Aside from the fact that a novel's greatness is not necessarily
>> a function of what languages it's been translated into, 
>Wrong way around. Great novels get translated because people want
>other people to read them. Great novels get translated because there
>is money to be made selling books in the target language.
>>>

I'm currently in the middle of translating _The Name of the Rose_ and 
_Moby-Dick_ into Esperanto {the former with Eco's written permission, the 
latter with*out* Melville's}.  In neither case am I motivated to any 
great extent by the hope (much less the expectation) of making money from 
it.  In each case I hope that *eventually* some people will read and 
enjoy my translation, and perhaps even appreciate the care I put into 
it.  But I would say that the greatest motivation in both cases is simply 
the challenge--the climbing Everest because it's there factor--bolstered 
in the Eco case by the belief that translating a major (I think "major" 
is perhaps easier to justify than "great") novel would be a good way to 
advance my Italian beyond the Hugo-course level.

>Harlequin Romances and the Readers' Digest Selection are widely
>translated. IMHO Great novels are not necessarily translated, and if
>translated, not necessarily into many languages.

Harlequin Romances and the Readers' Digest Selection are *never*, to my 
knowledge, translated into Esperanto.  Perhaps if they *were*, more 
people would be motivated to learn it ;-)!
--
Liland Brajant ROS' / Leland B. ROSS - Delegito de UEA  en Seatlo, Usono
204 N 39th St (aux PO Box 30091)        Hejmo de Mikrosofto kaj Boeingo
Seattle, WA 98103 Usono/E'tats-Unis     Nirvano kaj la Universa Centro!
Tel. (1-206)633-2434  *  Seatla Esperanto-Societo bonvenigas vin vizite!
