I picked up a very nice copy
(in paperback)
of Ray's Fahrenheit 451 (Ave Fenix)
while in Guadalajara, Mexico this summer.
It says it is published by Plaza and Janes Editores, S.A.
(c) Ray Bradbury
(c) de la traduccion: Alfredo Crespo
(c) Plaza and Janes Editories, S.A. Travessera de Gracia, 47-49, 08021 Barcelona
Printed in Spain by Impreso en Rotoplec
Energia, 53
Sant Andreu de la Barca (Barcelona)

Of the little I can read, it sounds pretty close. But that's of the little I can read. I've thought of having some of Ray's stories translated to Lithuanian (which is what I am on my mother's side.) You get a couple people who know both languages well, English and Lithuanaian, and hope they do the best possible job.

Now, if you also find an admirer of Ray's works, then you are a few steps ...no, a lot of steps ahead...of a regular translator I would think, since he also translates the flavor of the text, the emotional tweaks, that regular translating would probably miss.

Hi, sorry for bumping my thread again,
but i have a question related to this thread...

First few facts more:

The old/good translation:
translated by Tony Westermayr
printed by Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, M�nchen, 1979

The new/bad translation:
translated by Christa Schuenke ( CS )
printed by Diogenes, Z�rich, 1997

Let me add some more examples for the new translation

The story "One timeless spring".
"That week, so many years ago, I thought my mother and my father were poisoning me."
- "my mother and my father" translated as "my parents".
Why ?
"And now, twenty years later, I'm not sure they didn't. There is no way of telling" - how beautiful !
CS: "And today, twenty years later, i ask myself whether they did(n't) it. Who knows" - terrible !!!

"You might go all day without breakfast or lunch, but what about suppen?" - you note the dramatics ?
CS: "It's no problem to go ( the day ) without breakfast and lunch, but without suppen?" -
"no problem" and German "kein Problem" are really very smilar, you see what she did with this sentence.

Sure i could fine much more examples from this book ( "Long after midnight" ),
but it's not just waste of time, but a big pain as well, since i just can not see
the beautiful stories treated in this way, it's real pain.
And in most cases you can not even express it, it's deep in language, in connotation,
in the way how you can create atmosphere, feeling, or kill it.
Also i would say, this translation makes Ray Bradbury's stroys rather "harmless", "slight fare".
I wonder, no Germans here, or just no Germans to comment this subject/join this discussion ?

On the other side the translation of Tony Westermayr is very accurate,
and reproduce the atmosphere very good.
But i'm quite sure, the only new book you can buy is the new translation,
any if people would now the difference between these 2 translations,
guess there would be no old print of this book in German language for sell already.

And now to my question:
would it be too bad to put online one story in this old translation ?
Since i type so slow, it would be hell of work anyway,
but guess it would be worth for me...
Ray Bradbury is the best author for me since i'v read the first story and forever,
i do believe that it would not harm the author in any way;
also i believe, better it would not be printed AT ALL in German after Wilhelm Goldberg edition,
since it only gives readers distorted image.
Sure it will not happen, but anyway i would do anything to let people to see
the difference, may enough people see it one day,
that is the reason why i want to put one complete story in this old translation on my site.
Also you will not believe, how many Germans answer to " Did you read the story <...> by Ray Bradbury ? "
with " Who is Ray Bradbury ? "
Well... people aren't reading just parts of stories gladly,
and in case of Bradbury's stories you will usually miss the most important part, even the feeling without the end.
And the ony who really like the story, will probably want to buy the book as well;
anyway with buying of this book there might be a big problem...

Soran
--
www.macross.de

[This message has been edited by Soran (edited 09-15-2002).]