Translation

Gnome · Post by **Gnome** » 04 Jul 2017, 09:12

In the foreword the authors mention the book was originally written in Arabic but they couldn't find a publisher. Did knowing the book was translated change anything for you?

I felt the translation was well done but some of the drama fell flat - specifically when Nadia is FaceTiming with her son. Did anyone else feel the same?

gali · Post by **gali** » 04 Jul 2017, 09:47

I think that the translation wasn't done that well. The writing didn't flow very well, it was a little choppy at times, and as you said some of the drama fell flat.

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 04 Jul 2017, 09:50

I agree with gali. The translation wasn't very well done. There were a lot of awkward wording and confusing sentences in the story.

Jaime Lync · Post by **Jaime Lync** » 04 Jul 2017, 10:08

I didn't mind the translation that much. I read light novels being translated from Korean to English and those are super bad. This translation was golden compared to the light novels I read.

elbchaymae · Post by **elbchaymae** » 04 Jul 2017, 12:30

i do prefer the origin version because there's a specific tenses of descriptions in any language wich couldn't have a 100% equivalent meaning if translated . so i like to keep it original

John Cand · Post by **John Cand** » 04 Jul 2017, 12:47

elbchaymae wrote:i do prefer the origin version because there's a specific tenses of descriptions in any language wich couldn't have a 100% equivalent meaning if translated . so i like to keep it original

I agree with the quote above but for those who only know don't know the original language they will have to settle for the translation.

Gnome · Post by **Gnome** » 04 Jul 2017, 19:43

Jaime Lync wrote:I didn't mind the translation that much. I read light novels being translated from Korean to English and those are super bad. This translation was golden compared to the light novels I read.

I wonder if this is why I didn't mind the translation. I watch a ton of anime and Korean dramas - there are a lot of special translations out there.

I'm going to have to go back and see it I can find some of the awkwardness everyone else mentioned.

gali · Post by **gali** » 05 Jul 2017, 02:22

Gnome wrote:
Jaime Lync wrote:I didn't mind the translation that much. I read light novels being translated from Korean to English and those are super bad. This translation was golden compared to the light novels I read.

I wonder if this is why I didn't mind the translation. I watch a ton of anime and Korean dramas - there are a lot of special translations out there.

Maybe this is the reason indeed.

ChillAndRead · Post by **ChillAndRead** » 05 Jul 2017, 02:26

I agree with gali and Amagine on the work of the translation. When the author is writing in their own language, it all flows so naturally. When the translation is not so good, then there is awkwardness and mistakes. I hate it when the translation is not up to the book and it bothers me a lot.

Eman Frasy · Post by **Eman Frasy** » 05 Jul 2017, 02:49

It is usually very discouraging for the authors who do not find publishers to get their books published. But, it is very obvious that if a book is translated, it loses the sense of drama, and its influence, and this is what was observed with this story too. I am sure this book must have been very interesting in Arabic. Still, the translation is a good effort made by the author.

Donnavila Marie01 · Post by **Donnavila Marie01** » 05 Jul 2017, 05:12

A good piece which was originally written in the writer's language and will be translated to another language will definitely change the thought. This is because there are words from a certain language which have no translation at all in another language.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 05 Jul 2017, 09:15

I think books always lose a little something in translation. You just can't QUITE capture the original sense of the words and phrases. You can get the gist but not the nuances.

Donnavila Marie01 · Post by **Donnavila Marie01** » 05 Jul 2017, 09:38

kandscreeley wrote:I think books always lose a little something in translation. You just can't QUITE capture the original sense of the words and phrases. You can get the gist but not the nuances.

I agree. Asking a translator to translate your work is really a gamble. If the author and the writer have the same wavelength, I think it would be easier to retain what must be retained.

MorganReadsBooks · Post by **MorganReadsBooks** » 05 Jul 2017, 13:24

The translation explains why I felt like so many things were phrased strangely or would repeat the same meaning in different words. Overall I still got the meaning of the story but do wonder if the story is better in the original language it was written in.

Ssinghal · Post by **Ssinghal** » 06 Jul 2017, 08:48

I do agree that the translation was not done very well, which made some of the descriptions flat and uninteresting. I think if the authors themselves would have translated it, they would have done a better job since they were better aware of the mood and emotions required by each scene