Comments on: Milan Kundera’s The Curtain http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2007/02/07/milan-kunderas-the-curtain/ Ricky Opaterny on Books, Music, Art, and Sports Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:41:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: evicious http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2007/02/07/milan-kunderas-the-curtain/comment-page-1/#comment-8571 evicious Sat, 10 Feb 2007 06:34:18 +0000 http://www.gen-o.com/blog/2007/02/07/milan-kunderas-the-curtain/#comment-8571 I can understand your reluctance about translated novels but you should know that translation is a fine, fine art. And the finest translators are incredible writers themselves. Haven't you ever read the English translation to a French novel and read the original novel too? I am often surprised at just how a skilled translator can bring to life the original voice of the writer. But that's not to say that translated novels will ever be nearly identical to the original. I think languages inherently have such a different sound and meaning, and to each person the sound of the language you know depends on the context in which you know this language. When I was a kid I loved the Chinese langauge because of the way words are used to play off meaning, sound, history...often in just one sentence. When I moved to the States I panicked because I loved to write but I couldn't imagine myself becoming a writer in English because the language wasn't innate to me...I couldn't find my rhythm around it. I guess I decided to give it a try. I can understand your reluctance about translated novels but you should know that translation is a fine, fine art. And the finest translators are incredible writers themselves. Haven’t you ever read the English translation to a French novel and read the original novel too? I am often surprised at just how a skilled translator can bring to life the original voice of the writer.

But that’s not to say that translated novels will ever be nearly identical to the original. I think languages inherently have such a different sound and meaning, and to each person the sound of the language you know depends on the context in which you know this language.

When I was a kid I loved the Chinese langauge because of the way words are used to play off meaning, sound, history…often in just one sentence. When I moved to the States I panicked because I loved to write but I couldn’t imagine myself becoming a writer in English because the language wasn’t innate to me…I couldn’t find my rhythm around it. I guess I decided to give it a try.

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