Waiting for the bus
(To watch a video about RWP, Reading while Waiting Project, click here.)
Reading a book of humorous essays about girls.
Her favorite author--Haruki Murakami. She liked how his style grew warmer after he wrote the book after the quake (author's preference of small letters), a collection of short stories that respond to Japan's 1995 Kobe earthquake. She reads Murakami's books first in Japanese, then in English and says that the translations into English are good, that the style is the same.
Other authors she likes--Ryu Murakami, who she describes as "extreme." She also likes David Sedaris and Paul Auster. She wishes her English was better to read more authors.
What have you read in two languages and how did the translation vary?
5 Comments:
I've read The Little Prince in both English and French. The translation seemed fine to me but I did enjoy French version better...just the little nuances of the language that made me appreciate the story/messages more.
Often I am "forced" (small library,small town)to read books in dutch which have been written in english, something I try to avoid at all costs. It's just no good reading about american/british/
indian/scottish/irish or whatever culture without reading it in the language it was written!
Ideally each book should be read in the language it was written in ....... ideally!
Flaubert in French and English. "Human speech is but a cracked kettle upon which we beat primitive rhythms for bears to dance to, while within our hearts we long to make music to melt the stars."
This question was not even in my realm of possibilities, I barely made it through French way back in high school. I'm amazed that I have a daughter who takes out French books for light reading in the summer. That is the absolute closest I can come to reading in another language.
But, both Marit and anon have spoken so well about reading in the language that the book was written in. I'd never thought of Marit's point nor read the quote that anon. gave. Thanks to both for making me just a little more thoughtful!
I've read translations before and wondered if they would be better in the original. But I only speak english. And pig-latin.
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