Comments for abecedary.org http://abecedary.org/blog :: Pertaining to, or formed by, the letters of the alphabet; alphabetic; hence, rudimentary. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:43:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 Comment on BFT Day 38: Angkor and Phnom Penh by Abecedarist http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/03/12/bft-day-38-angkor-and-phnom-penh/#comment-477 Tue, 22 Mar 2005 02:08:22 +0000 http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/03/12/bft-day-38-angkor-and-phnom-penh/#comment-477 Hi Jon, I'm now back in Thailand at friends. They have DSL. I have no more work to do so I'm catching up! I really didn't like Phnom Penh. Maybe I needed to give it more of a chance, but it just wasn't a good stop for me. It was busier than Siem Reap, filthy in more places, full of real scum of the Earth types, and didn't have anything like Angkor. With so many places to go, I can't really see myself coming back for another visit. On the other hand, I was pretty much there for the conference and might have missed out on a few good spots. Some people like PP, but SR was much more my speed. Hi Jon,

I’m now back in Thailand at friends. They have DSL. I have no more work to do so I’m catching up!

I really didn’t like Phnom Penh. Maybe I needed to give it more of a chance, but it just wasn’t a good stop for me. It was busier than Siem Reap, filthy in more places, full of real scum of the Earth types, and didn’t have anything like Angkor. With so many places to go, I can’t really see myself coming back for another visit.

On the other hand, I was pretty much there for the conference and might have missed out on a few good spots. Some people like PP, but SR was much more my speed.

]]> Comment on BFT Day 38: Angkor and Phnom Penh by Jon http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/03/12/bft-day-38-angkor-and-phnom-penh/#comment-476 Mon, 21 Mar 2005 14:33:57 +0000 http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/03/12/bft-day-38-angkor-and-phnom-penh/#comment-476 Bingo! Shame you have not had any time for more entries I would have been interested in your thoughts of Phnom Penh. We are in Dalat at the moment swaying between hating and loving the place. I think that Thailand is calling... Still, very lucky to be travelling all this time so I won't even start to complain. My PA lost your contact details - would love to stay in touch. Jon Bingo!

Shame you have not had any time for more entries I would have been interested in your thoughts of Phnom Penh. We are in Dalat at the moment swaying between hating and loving the place. I think that Thailand is calling…

Still, very lucky to be travelling all this time so I won’t even start to complain.

My PA lost your contact details - would love to stay in touch.

Jon

]]> Comment on Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin by abecedarist http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/01/06/haruki-murakami-and-the-music-of-words-by-jay-rubin/#comment-246 Sun, 16 Jan 2005 08:37:34 +0000 http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/01/06/haruki-murakami-and-the-music-of-words-by-jay-rubin/#comment-246 Interesting observation about the relative quality of translation. It could be the language, but I suspect it is the time and attention given to translating. When I worked in a bookstore in Boston, I just didn't see that many books translated into English. I could be wrong, but I suspect the proportion of translated titles on the shelves in a French language bookstore is higher than the proportion in an English language bookstore. Not to say that there isn't plenty of good writing available in French, but publishing is a crowded business and in English (especially in the American market) I would guess that translation is just viewed as an additional business expense. Rubin goes to great lengths to discuss translation. He tells abit about the differences between his own and Birnbaum's translations of Murakami. There is a great appendix showing just how difficult translation can be and how little understood it is. Rubin calls the translator something like the work's or the author's best reader. Interesting observation about the relative quality of translation. It could be the language, but I suspect it is the time and attention given to translating.

When I worked in a bookstore in Boston, I just didn’t see that many books translated into English. I could be wrong, but I suspect the proportion of translated titles on the shelves in a French language bookstore is higher than the proportion in an English language bookstore. Not to say that there isn’t plenty of good writing available in French, but publishing is a crowded business and in English (especially in the American market) I would guess that translation is just viewed as an additional business expense.

Rubin goes to great lengths to discuss translation. He tells abit about the differences between his own and Birnbaum’s translations of Murakami. There is a great appendix showing just how difficult translation can be and how little understood it is. Rubin calls the translator something like the work’s or the author’s best reader.

]]> Comment on Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin by dr Dave http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/01/06/haruki-murakami-and-the-music-of-words-by-jay-rubin/#comment-243 Thu, 13 Jan 2005 09:17:50 +0000 http://abecedary.org/blog/index.php/2005/01/06/haruki-murakami-and-the-music-of-words-by-jay-rubin/#comment-243 Funny... I read my first Haruki Murakami book over the vacations... Since ironically I picked most of my Japanese readings when I'm abroad, I used the chance to browse books in a Montreal bookstore last week and picked whichever names sounded familiar enough or had been recommended to me recently. Picked "Sputnik Sweetheart", in French, since there definitely was a bigger selection for this language over there. Interestingly, I have also always noticed an overall better quality in French translations over English ones, when reading Japanese authors: not sure if it's the language or the attention given to the translation. Anyway, good book, although I could feel this is perhaps not his most important piece of work, I shall definitely be reading more from him. Funny… I read my first Haruki Murakami book over the vacations…
Since ironically I picked most of my Japanese readings when I’m abroad, I used the chance to browse books in a Montreal bookstore last week and picked whichever names sounded familiar enough or had been recommended to me recently.
Picked “Sputnik Sweetheart”, in French, since there definitely was a bigger selection for this language over there. Interestingly, I have also always noticed an overall better quality in French translations over English ones, when reading Japanese authors: not sure if it’s the language or the attention given to the translation.
Anyway, good book, although I could feel this is perhaps not his most important piece of work, I shall definitely be reading more from him.

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