I'm not quite sure why he felt he needed to see the original manuscript in the British Library
Neither am I, but by Jove, I understand the urge. And at least we got a great story out of it.
In contrast with Bernhard's opinion of translations, many writers who are capable of writing in more than one language prefer someone else to do their translations. They have more confidence in a professional translator than in themselves to express their own ideas, once written down, in another language.
I might have read that in Eco's "On Translation", but even if I didn't, it's a wonderful book on the subject.
Posted by Paul D at December 19, 2006 11:46 PMPaul,
alas, I don't remember a work of Eco's by that name. Could you by any chance be referring to the one published under the English title "Mouse and Rat"?
Posted by bulbul at December 20, 2006 08:40 PMBBC Radio 4 - www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 - is broadcasting today Thursday Dec. 21 at 1415
gmt Sir Ian McKellen reading the new Simon Armitage translation of Gawain.
You should be able to hear it with "Listen Live" or later (within 7 days) via the "Listen Again" feature, both on the top right-hand side of the Radio 4 webpage.
Paul
London
Lines 224, 225 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:
....... 'Wher is', he sayd,
'The gouernour of this gyng? ....
W.S.Merwin's translation gives, very weakly, I think:
...... "Where," he asked, "is
The head of this gathering? ....
Clearly the translator is unaware that to this day "governor" and "gang" are standard thieves' cant in the UK. "Boss" would have been a better translation for the USA, perhaps.