Autor Wątek: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever  (Przeczytany 26967 razy)

xpil

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Wiadomości: 234
    • Zobacz profil
Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« dnia: Listopada 03, 2017, 12:15:51 am »
Lads & ladies, what is your opinion on Michael Kandel's translation works? I had the pleasure of reading "The Cyberiad" recently and I was absolutely stunned. Knowing the original by heart (from early childhood) I was absolutely convinced it was untranslatable. And then, suddenly, I met Kandel's translation.

It's a pure pleasure.

Now I am wondering what English native speakers imagine when reading about "pritons and zits" or "Mockles fent on silpen tree". Do they realize how tricky it is to make sense out of it? I doubt it.

To me, Kandel is one of the Giants. Hats off!

Q

  • YaBB Moderator
  • God Member
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 16003
  • Jego Induktywność
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #1 dnia: Listopada 04, 2017, 12:02:49 pm »
By the way... Do you know that Kandel also wrote some Lem-inspired science fiction works, and translated writings of anoher prominent Polish authors (Dukaj, Huberath, Sapkowski, likewise Huelle and Stasiuk), and edited novels of Ursula Le Guin, and anthology of Polish SF&F?
« Ostatnia zmiana: Listopada 04, 2017, 12:04:21 pm wysłana przez Q »
"Wśród wydarzeń wszechświata nie ma ważnych i nieważnych, tylko my różnie je postrzegamy. Podział na ważne i nieważne odbywa się w naszych umysłach" - Marek Baraniecki

xpil

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Wiadomości: 234
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #2 dnia: Listopada 05, 2017, 09:19:07 am »
By the way... Do you know that Kandel also wrote some Lem-inspired science fiction works, and translated writings of anoher prominent Polish authors (Dukaj, Huberath, Sapkowski, likewise Huelle and Stasiuk), and edited novels of Ursula Le Guin, and anthology of Polish SF&F?

I do now. Never been a big fan of Dukaj or Huberath btw but it's good to know anyway.

Q

  • YaBB Moderator
  • God Member
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 16003
  • Jego Induktywność
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #3 dnia: Listopada 05, 2017, 01:17:03 pm »
I do now.

;)

Never been a big fan of Dukaj or Huberath btw

Well... none of them is Lem ;).
"Wśród wydarzeń wszechświata nie ma ważnych i nieważnych, tylko my różnie je postrzegamy. Podział na ważne i nieważne odbywa się w naszych umysłach" - Marek Baraniecki

gurfle

  • YaBB Newbies
  • **
  • Wiadomości: 4
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #4 dnia: Marca 21, 2019, 08:15:32 pm »
To me, Kandel is one of the Giants. Hats off!
I could not agree more.  I read Kandel's translation of Cyberiad over fourty years ago, soon after his Star Diaries translation, and could not imagine how he could have created a work so full of puns in English without altering the original, since puns are in fact completely untranslatable.  Assuming he maintained the spirit, if not the (impossible for puns) literal meanings from the original polish, whatever Kandel had done was clearly an act of genius, very apparent even to one like myself who knew nothing of the Polish language.

Does anyone who knows both Polish and English have an example that illustrates how Kandel dealt with puns?

I am also curious about the very first story in Cyberiad of Trurl's machine that makes everything starting with n.  Presumable the Polish word for nothing also starts with n?

Anyway, from the time of that first reading of Cyberiad, I have read everything I could find of Lem's, clearly one of the greatest minds, both as philosopher and artist of his time, if not all times.

Q

  • YaBB Moderator
  • God Member
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 16003
  • Jego Induktywność
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #5 dnia: Marca 21, 2019, 08:29:53 pm »
Does anyone who knows both Polish and English have an example that illustrates how Kandel dealt with puns?

Welcome and enjoy ;):
https://medium.com/@mwichary/seduced-shaggy-samson-snored-725b5a8086d9

I am also curious about the very first story in Cyberiad of Trurl's machine that makes everything starting with n.  Presumable the Polish word for nothing also starts with n?

Yes, "nothing" = "nic", "nothingness" = "nicość".
"Wśród wydarzeń wszechświata nie ma ważnych i nieważnych, tylko my różnie je postrzegamy. Podział na ważne i nieważne odbywa się w naszych umysłach" - Marek Baraniecki

gurfle

  • YaBB Newbies
  • **
  • Wiadomości: 4
    • Zobacz profil

Q

  • YaBB Moderator
  • God Member
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 16003
  • Jego Induktywność
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #7 dnia: Marca 22, 2019, 09:44:10 pm »
Your welcome :).
"Wśród wydarzeń wszechświata nie ma ważnych i nieważnych, tylko my różnie je postrzegamy. Podział na ważne i nieważne odbywa się w naszych umysłach" - Marek Baraniecki

Kagan

  • Juror
  • God Member
  • *****
  • Wiadomości: 714
    • Zobacz profil
Odp: Michael Kandel - the most incredible translator ever
« Odpowiedź #8 dnia: Grudnia 10, 2019, 07:41:45 pm »

To me, Kandel is one of the Giants. Hats off!
Kandel was simply standing on the shoulders of Lem, as Lem delivered him rough translations to English with running commentary (e.g. Awruk = Tickuff).
If Kandel were honest, he should write "translated by Stanisław Lem with assistance of Michael Kandel".