Subject
Oleg Dorman replies to DN re ADA translations
From
Date
Body
Message
----- Original Message -----
From: Oleg Dorman
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: reply to Oleg
May I ask you to pass my answer on to Dmitry Vladimirovich? - The words mentioned (ISPOD, MREYAT'...) are not just peculiar. In Russian literature they absolutely belong to Vladimir Nabokov - even more than a butterfly in any book from now on belongs to him. I can also add BRIDOCHKI instead of BRETEL'KI. It is like Renoir's colours, Mozart's harmonies, or Сhaplin's moustache-and-cane. Or bilberry spot at the bottom of a basket. That's why constant, automatical putting them in the translations instead of neutral words, using them ANYTIME, causes the feeling of a forgery and of the translator's poshlost' I tried to describe.
Of course, Dmitri Vladimirovich's suggestions are a grand-master's move in a local chess tournament. But, alas, it is too often a forced Russian also.
The dispute is old and endless. Out some higher and deep considerations the mentioned Frankovsky entitled Proust's book "V poiskah ZA utrachennym vremenem". This example is the exhaustive expression of my position. I can only guess again that the same effect in translation may be some times reached in the other place of the period, in words and even rythms which formally are rather far from the original.And to confirm my strong belief that only a congenial reader may become a congenial translator. If Muse smiles to him.
...And a collateral remark: the idea of back-translating fails here, because the expression "UKAZIVAL, SKOL'KO OTCU PIT'" unambiguously, exactly means in Russian "ukazyval otsu, skol'ko tot vprave vypit' " !
---------------------------------
P.S.
----- Original Message -----
From: Oleg Dorman
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: reply to Oleg
May I ask you to pass my answer on to Dmitry Vladimirovich? - The words mentioned (ISPOD, MREYAT'...) are not just peculiar. In Russian literature they absolutely belong to Vladimir Nabokov - even more than a butterfly in any book from now on belongs to him. I can also add BRIDOCHKI instead of BRETEL'KI. It is like Renoir's colours, Mozart's harmonies, or Сhaplin's moustache-and-cane. Or bilberry spot at the bottom of a basket. That's why constant, automatical putting them in the translations instead of neutral words, using them ANYTIME, causes the feeling of a forgery and of the translator's poshlost' I tried to describe.
Of course, Dmitri Vladimirovich's suggestions are a grand-master's move in a local chess tournament. But, alas, it is too often a forced Russian also.
The dispute is old and endless. Out some higher and deep considerations the mentioned Frankovsky entitled Proust's book "V poiskah ZA utrachennym vremenem". This example is the exhaustive expression of my position. I can only guess again that the same effect in translation may be some times reached in the other place of the period, in words and even rythms which formally are rather far from the original.And to confirm my strong belief that only a congenial reader may become a congenial translator. If Muse smiles to him.
...And a collateral remark: the idea of back-translating fails here, because the expression "UKAZIVAL, SKOL'KO OTCU PIT'" unambiguously, exactly means in Russian "ukazyval otsu, skol'ko tot vprave vypit' " !
---------------------------------
P.S.