The change in language is estranging in a really neat way. I remember getting that feeling most strongly when the anthology containing my first story sale was translated into Finnish. There was my byline...over this incomprehensible-looking text. It was something I wrote, and yet it wasn't. German's less alien to me than Finnish, but even so, these are entire volumes full of words that are kind of mine and kind of not (and sprinkled through with the familiar names of the characters). It's delightfully weird. Maybe a little like seeing a family member in a heavily costumed stage play.
And every time I look at it I think about the translator and what a huge job that must have been. Would love to shake his hand sometime and thank him.
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sforzinda
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Date: 2007-09-12 12:08 pm (UTC)And every time I look at it I think about the translator and what a huge job that must have been. Would love to shake his hand sometime and thank him.