Comments on: INTERVIEW: Anthea Bell, Part 1 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/ About the craft and business of genre fiction Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:40:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Ravina http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-6349 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:45:00 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-6349 i love the book...its the best book ever!!!! i love the book…its the best book ever!!!!

]]> by: michael b http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-3096 Thu, 18 Jan 2007 02:28:32 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-3096 google is also a friend to fans of translators! thank you anthea bell for your work. we have especially enjoyed reading your translation of ottfried preussler aloud at bedtime. google is also a friend to fans of translators! thank you anthea bell for your work. we have especially enjoyed reading your translation of ottfried preussler aloud at bedtime.

]]> by: Anthea Bell http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-1611 Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:04:26 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-1611 <div><font face="Arial" size="2">What an interesting topic Danuta Borchhardt raises ... I think in fact most of us translators would say we <em>are</em> writers, whether or not we have published original fiction of our own. It is never - or should never be - a question of mechanically substituting an English word for a foreign word. Rhythm, variation, the sheer flow and sound of the sentence all matter just as much to the translator as to the writer of the original text. At the same time we are, of course, also doing our best to keep as close to the author's spirit as we can ... even if sometimes the letter has to be sacrificed to the spirit. (This often happens with wordplay - I have had to go very far from a literal translation in the "Asterix the Gaul" <em>bande dessinée</em> saga, which is full of puns and other verbal jokes.)</font></div> <div /> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">In fact only this year, just a few months ago, a book of essays was published entitled "The Translator as Writer", edited by Susan Bassnett and Peter Bush (London and New York, Continuum). I contributed an essay to it myself. Susan is prominent in the field of translation studies, and Peter has also been an academic and is a noted translator from Spanish.</font></div>   </font></div> What an interesting topic Danuta Borchhardt raises … I think in fact most of us translators would say we are writers, whether or not we have published original fiction of our own. It is never - or should never be - a question of mechanically substituting an English word for a foreign word. Rhythm, variation, the sheer flow and sound of the sentence all matter just as much to the translator as to the writer of the original text. At the same time we are, of course, also doing our best to keep as close to the author’s spirit as we can … even if sometimes the letter has to be sacrificed to the spirit. (This often happens with wordplay - I have had to go very far from a literal translation in the “Asterix the Gaul” bande dessinée saga, which is full of puns and other verbal jokes.)

In fact only this year, just a few months ago, a book of essays was published entitled “The Translator as Writer”, edited by Susan Bassnett and Peter Bush (London and New York, Continuum). I contributed an essay to it myself. Susan is prominent in the field of translation studies, and Peter has also been an academic and is a noted translator from Spanish.

 

]]> by: Danuta Borchardt http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-1598 Mon, 13 Nov 2006 01:07:13 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-1598 I wonder if Ms Bell would comment on the idea that a translator of prose fiction is better at his work if he is a writer himself. I would appreciate any remarks on this topic she is willing to make. Thank you, Danuta Borchardt I wonder if Ms Bell would comment on the idea that a translator of prose fiction is better at his work if he is a writer himself. I would appreciate any remarks on this topic she is willing to make.
Thank you,
Danuta Borchardt

]]> by: Thea McGinnis http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-917 Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:45:51 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2006/08/18/interview-anthea-bell-part-1/#comment-917 one thing this interview illuminates is the difficulty of foreign authors to ensure their wishes for their book are honored. it seems the publishers have no problem coming down on literal translations and changing even the titles. does the english speaking reader not get the complete essence of the book the german reader is? thank goodness they have a translator such as anthea bell to help maintain the integrity of the author's work. one thing this interview illuminates is the difficulty of foreign authors to ensure their wishes for their book are honored. it seems the publishers have no problem coming down on literal translations and changing even the titles. does the english speaking reader not get the complete essence of the book the german reader is? thank goodness they have a translator such as anthea bell to help maintain the integrity of the author’s work.

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