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Stephen Fry On Language
6 Nov 2008 05:02 pmMost of you who are either fans of Stephen Fry or interested in language will have read this superb blog entry so I won't be going on about how wonderful it is. Damn, that man can write.
I've been thinking a bit further:
- Could I translate this piece into German? No.
- Could a literary, bilingual genius translate it? Yes, but not in a way that could be understood by someone who doesn't know (much about) the English language. It's a superb example for a text that is inherently untranslatable because it contains too many cultural references. A translation would only be interesting to people with a high interest in the English language and those would be able to read the original.
- Could a similar piece be written in German about German? Probably. Bastian Sick (Spiegel's Zwiebelfisch) has a regular language column and most of his articles are amusing. He tends to take a prescriptive standpoint, though, so his piece would have a different message.
Thoughts by the Germans and German speakers on my f-list?
I've been thinking a bit further:
- Could I translate this piece into German? No.
- Could a literary, bilingual genius translate it? Yes, but not in a way that could be understood by someone who doesn't know (much about) the English language. It's a superb example for a text that is inherently untranslatable because it contains too many cultural references. A translation would only be interesting to people with a high interest in the English language and those would be able to read the original.
- Could a similar piece be written in German about German? Probably. Bastian Sick (Spiegel's Zwiebelfisch) has a regular language column and most of his articles are amusing. He tends to take a prescriptive standpoint, though, so his piece would have a different message.
Thoughts by the Germans and German speakers on my f-list?
