tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post1014907105358522052..comments2023-10-30T10:28:16.575+00:00Comments on Around the World in 100 Books: Global InterestThe Travellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06966358386701534860noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-10182446216629675372007-01-20T13:06:00.000+00:002007-01-20T13:06:00.000+00:00Great comments everyone, and thanks to those who p...Great comments everyone, and thanks to those who provided links. It's interesting that other people share some of my thoughts - I have friends who view languages purely as a cv booster, and while they enjoy travelling, display no interest in languages. I find that very strange!The Travellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966358386701534860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-70704012448608468272007-01-19T03:38:00.000+00:002007-01-19T03:38:00.000+00:00...Everything that Heather said! Even though I'm C......Everything that Heather said! Even though I'm Canadian my French is pathetic. I can read it, slowly, with dictionary if it's above about a grade 9 level. I never went on to do my history MA partly because my French wasn't good enough. When I read translations, I think I'm searching for that phantom difference in <i>thinking</i> that Imani mentions, but I know I'll never quite get it. Sigh.Melwykhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04885378201188978664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-68688857349271758562007-01-18T18:24:00.000+00:002007-01-18T18:24:00.000+00:00I took Spanish A-levels so I am fairly competent i...I took Spanish A-levels so I am fairly competent in reading Spanish lit straight. I read some Borges and all my Lorca in the original Spanish and yes, yes believe me translations never quite match the original literature's language because one actually <i>thinks</i> differently when speaking and writing each. That doesn't mean people should not read translations of course but there are advantages to knowing more than one language.<br /><br />My ease in reading Spanish never quite matches my English though. I have a new roommate who speaks Spanish, so I've been trying to keep at it.<br /><br />Have you tried any of the university libraries? I would imagine that they, at least, would have an investment in getting foreign literature (although translations might be a problem).Imanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09647980707788075258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-11878343358681924832007-01-18T17:31:00.000+00:002007-01-18T17:31:00.000+00:00I've also thought about the fact that I'm not flue...I've also thought about the fact that I'm not fluent in other languages. Toronto, Ontario, Canada is said to be one of the most multicultural cities in the world, Canada is an officially bilingual (English/French) country and yet I only -barely- get by in French and Spanish. I know mere words in a few other languages but could definitely NOT carry on a conversation. As a university History and Art History major I've always thought it one of my great failings that I didn't keep up my French and Spanish, become proficient and study my Masters and PhD (needed a romance language in order to do so). Best of luck finding the translations you are searching for.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13979896448183348883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-81268753616057589952007-01-18T16:32:00.000+00:002007-01-18T16:32:00.000+00:00I think you are right it is sort of sad that so fe...I think you are right it is sort of sad that so few foreign authors are translated into english. I can speak passable Spanish, but I am not sure I could read a long spanish text--probably something easy and with a lot of perseverence. I'm not sure if you have this service at your library, but you might try and interlibrary loan a book. Even though your local library may not have something, another one somewhere else may have just the book. It might require a fee for the postage, but it would save money in the long run. If you look at :<br />http://www.worldcat.org/<br />You can search for titles and find out which libraries have the book. Good luck in your search!Daniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06415242678720695754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-16047078191032638232007-01-18T13:07:00.000+00:002007-01-18T13:07:00.000+00:00I wish I could read in other languages too. I wor...I wish I could read in other languages too. I worked pretty hard on German for a while, but have had a long interval without studying it, and I forget so fast. Best of luck finding translations -- it's such a interesting project you've got going here; it seems like you're learning so much from it.Rebecca H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10825532162727473112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-41061238993837256332007-01-18T08:05:00.000+00:002007-01-18T08:05:00.000+00:00Have you tried alibris.co.uk? I've been finding bo...Have you tried alibris.co.uk? I've been finding books there that I can't get hold of on amazon. I can't imagine the Venezualan publishing industry to be very prominent, which might explain the difficulty in part. But I think a good translation of a foreign text is every bit as good as the original provided you can get hold of them!litlovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10952927245186474480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-78490881542492074122007-01-18T07:03:00.000+00:002007-01-18T07:03:00.000+00:00I agree on how difficult it is to find English tra...I agree on how difficult it is to find English translations sometimes. But I think UK publishers have a wider range of works in translation in print then American publishers. <br /><br />Often when I do sourcing for translations, I realise it's only available via UK, or the US edition has gone out of print.<br /><br />It seems market forces are also at work. Translating is not a high-paying industry, yet it requires a certain degree of education for decent work. <br /><br />Is it simply a case of comfort? It takes more effort to learn another language and to take time to develop fluency in it. <br /> <br />While I can function in English and Chinese, I realise I read very little Chinese literature, simply because everyday life functions primarily in English. My Chinese is suffering from lack of practice.<br /><br />If there is a Chinese author I am interested in, I usually look for the original Chinese version first. But reading the Chinese edition too slowly often means I may give up on the book.darkorpheushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02565452271408221461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-75544235657913257132007-01-18T06:28:00.000+00:002007-01-18T06:28:00.000+00:00I agree, the books that get translated into Englis...I agree, the books that get translated into English is very pitiful. Interestingly, or perhaps not surprising at all, I found when looking for some Scandinavian lit a couple years ago that they were often translated to other European languages like French, Italian, and what not, but not into English. And I'm sure that happens a lot. Sad. <br />I also regularly wish I could read easily in another language or 2. I could perhaps struggle through French, but would need a dictionary near by, and it's a challenge so I tend not to, especially since I mostly read in bed at night so it's not really conducive to notebooks and dictionaries. sigh.tanabatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04592550784537825632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31271184.post-55281492267197423942007-01-18T00:30:00.000+00:002007-01-18T00:30:00.000+00:00This is an American cultural failing too. I don't ...This is an American cultural failing too. I don't speak another language either. I fulfilled my school requirements with Spanish in high school and German in college and never went beyond that. I've been thinking about learning Spanish again since I have several coworkers who are bilingual I'd at least be able to practice. But I've not made it from thinking about it to doing it yet. I agree though that the number of books in translation is disappointing.Stefaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14943596258182968212noreply@blogger.com