tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post4072413091609908876..comments2024-02-26T13:12:10.143-05:00Comments on Lizok's Bookshelf: Rasskazy: Five FavoritesLisa C. Haydenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-19870255962930234702009-12-11T12:47:21.960-05:002009-12-11T12:47:21.960-05:00Andrea, I like your example of осел and jackass! T...Andrea, I like your example of осел and jackass! The number of these (more or less) direct equivalents never ceases to amaze me. Of course I can't think of any off-hand, either!Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-53598851947333064762009-12-10T21:24:41.284-05:002009-12-10T21:24:41.284-05:00Lisa -- You really nailed it on the quality of thi...Lisa -- You really nailed it on the quality of this anthology. I haven't managed to read them all yet, but I too am intrigued by some, not others. I agree with you that this is what makes it a valuable collection. <br /><br />I also appreciate your comments on translating slang and new phrases, and the risk of over-Anglicizing. As I continue to translate Kozlov's writing, I find I have to walk a tightrope as I choose and craft slang phrases. Because I find his writing about Soviet school in the eighties to be so much like my own American experience, I want it to sound similar as well. And yet I don't want the characters sounding like valley girls or Bill and Ted. I hem and haw over it all day long. Also, it's amazing, some of his Russian slang translates almost directly to an American slang equivalent. There are some stunning examples that are escaping me right now, but one I recently dealt with was a woman insulting a cop -- she called him, among other things, "осел." I couldn't resist translating this as "jackass" even though it has such a contemporary American sound.Saoirsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06242300671015407853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-31603903930034242332009-12-10T13:53:53.641-05:002009-12-10T13:53:53.641-05:00Thank you for your comment, Shelley! I'm glad ...Thank you for your comment, Shelley! I'm glad you enjoy the blog. <br /><br />It's funny that you asked about that phrase: I hadn't even thought about how "it's all good" has become such a catchphrase! Maybe that's because there are standard phrases in Russian that are quite similar. What's interesting here is that the Russian original isn't something like "всё хорошо/прекрасно/чудесно." The original uses "ясность и благодать," which isn't easy to translate. It's literally "clarity and grace" or "clarity and abundance"... neither of which sounds very good in English! Somehow, "it's all good" works quite nicely.<br /><br />In case you didn't already see it, here's an interview with Zobern from the Tin House blog: <a href="http://tinhousebooks.com/blog/?p=320" rel="nofollow">link</a>.Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-21996711946825138842009-12-10T12:00:33.672-05:002009-12-10T12:00:33.672-05:00Since you brought up the translation, I'm dyin...Since you brought up the translation, I'm dying to know: What Russian phrase inspired the translation "it's all good" in the Zoburn story? I love your blog, by the way.Shelley F-Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14667870315095055615noreply@blogger.com