Translation

[firecat]

I see I share a bit of brain with Neil Gaiman, who writes in his blog (in response to a question about the French translation of American Gods:

(I used to collect translations of Rilke's Duino Elegies, trying to triangulate something that would have the same effect as the German. Some would have the grace of the original poems, some the feel of the language, some the form. No one translation ever had everything, or ever could have.)

This is on my mind tonight because I saw Spirited Away tonight on DVD, and I am pissed at the English subtitles. I know only a few words of japanese, and even with only those words, I could tell they were mangling it. Besides, the English subtitles follow the English-language track, and they added dialogue where there was just lovely speechlessness in the original. [grumble mumble]