Posted by Willem on June 27, 1999 at 13:58:34:
In Reply to: A question for our bilingual and multilingual friends... posted by Jim Gust on June 27, 1999 at 08:17:15:
: How do translations of JV books in your native language compare to the original English versions? Acknowledging the fact that the skill of the interpreter has a lot to do with it, do the books still have the same "flavor"?
Good question: some books I read first in English and later in Dutch. I did some comparisons on favorite parts: overall the translations are well done. However some publishers where less critical on the translators and that showed: first translation of space opera was not that good. The book itself is not very good IMHO, could be a contributing factor of the result. The principle publisher of Vance's work had some books retranslated.
Tschai has been translated excellently.
Sometimes you find errors where the translator changes the original meaning by mistake, but this is seldom.
in conclusion: translators manage well to keep the flavor IMO.
The best scenes where this shows, as examples, are the endless haggling with inn owners & transport providers. The description of meals etc etc.