What is Reading?
Mar 23, 2022 7:19:15 GMT -6
Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Mar 23, 2022 7:19:15 GMT -6
So, I'm reading a book called Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish. The book was originally written in Arabic, and in the Foreword, the translator mentions the difficulty in translating the work. They write:
And that got me thinking: Am I actually reading a book called Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish? Is reading a translation of a book the same as reading a book? There are so many English translations of the Iliad; some are written in prose form, some are written in verse form. Each translation has their own philosophy and focuses in their approach. How can you say you've read the Iliad when any two translations can differ so drastically? What about poetry: a form where rhyme and rhythm are so integral?
Insofar as it is possible to do so, I have maintained the rhythm of his syntax throughout, translating sentence for sentence. Yet though one can make an effort at the macro level of rhythm to maintain the integrity of the sentence, it nevertheless remains true that each language has its own sense of rhythm within the sentence. Arabic moves from right to left, and its words are constructed differently from the way English manages its vocabulary. In translating within the sentences, I have relied on my ear to create sound harmonies and a consistent rhythm, but without sacrificing meaning.
And that got me thinking: Am I actually reading a book called Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish? Is reading a translation of a book the same as reading a book? There are so many English translations of the Iliad; some are written in prose form, some are written in verse form. Each translation has their own philosophy and focuses in their approach. How can you say you've read the Iliad when any two translations can differ so drastically? What about poetry: a form where rhyme and rhythm are so integral?
If the answer is "yes, reading a translated book means you've read the book", then what is reading? I read an abridged, young-readers version of Robinson Crusoe when I was a kid. To this day, I haven't read the original Robinson Crusoe. So can I say that I've read Robinson Crusoe? Returning to the example of the Iliad, there's a translation that omits an entire Book. Can you say you've read the Iliad if you've read a translation missing an entire chunk of pages? Is reading a summary of a book reading a book?
Hypothetical: Let's say Jane Austen rewrote Game of Thrones. She keeps the same plot, all the same characters and settings. (No, this hypothetical Austen also hasn't finished her hypothetical Winds of Winter). The only difference in Austen's Game of Thrones is that it's written in her prose style and has a heavier emphasis on the themes she's interested in. You have never read GRRM's Game of Thrones but you read the Austen-Cut of the Game of Thrones. Have you read Game of Thrones?
What is reading even?
Drinking game: Take a shot every time you read the word "read" in this post. Read.
You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.
