Names of Characters in Foreign Editions.

[Sjoerd3000]

I haven't read the Tiffany books in Dutch, the translator read part of Wee Free men(de vrijgemaakte ortjes in Dutch) to us in Rotterdam.

I've read a few Discworld books in Dutch and overall the Dutch translations aren't bad Mind you the translator himself said it's impossible to translate Terry Pratchett

 

[deldaisy]

True... but Feegle is a whole other language translated into a whole other language! I can't see how it would work. Anyone else read the Tiffany books in another language?

 

[Tonyblack]

True... but Feegle is a whole other language translated into a whole other language! I can't see how it would work. Anyone else read the Tiffany books in another language?

There are lots of dialects in the Netherlands, it would be (I imagine) quite easy to give the Feegles one of them.

 

[Sjoerd3000]

True... but Feegle is a whole other language translated into a whole other language! I can't see how it would work. Anyone else read the Tiffany books in another language?

There are lots of dialects in the Netherlands, it would be (I imagine) quite easy to give the Feegles one of them.

The translator gave them the dialect of the region he grew up in
I think it was Zaans

 

[Willem]

I read some Dutch translations way, way back when I first started reading Pratchett (my sister had a couple of English books, when I finished those I tried the Dutch versions).

In general, they aren't bad. But as noted: it's hard to translate books of this kind: Soul Music really put me off since you could see the translator trying to bring the band name puns to life and failing. So on the next trip to London I stocked up on 3 for 2 Pratchetts and haven't looked back since. This goes for other authors too: if I've got the original language version available (and can read that language) I'll always pick that over a translation.

 

[AgProv]

For a man with a Welsh name, there's not much in Welsh...

Boringly, there aren't many Terry Pratchett books available in Welsh and only one Discworld, as yet. Leaving aside the issue that for many Welsh people, English is the foreign language, we have...

Llyfrau sydd wedi eu cyfieithu i'r Gymraeg:-

Joni a'r Meirwon (ISBN 086074132X)-- Cyfieithiad Aled P. Jones o Johnny and the Dead
Dim Ond Ti All Achub y Ddynoliaeth (ISBN 0860741443)-- Cyfieithiad Aled P. Jones o Only You Can Save Mankind
Lleidr Amser (ISBN 1904357008)-- Cyfieithiad Dyfrig Parri o Thief of Time

It looks as if the Johnny Maxwell books have made it, but Discworld is yet to make a cultural impression.


http://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett

http://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lleidr_Amser

(Dyfrig Parri is named as Pratchett's Welsh translator, at least of Thief of Time).

 

[AgProv]

old forums never die

I did a comprehensive list of all main characters and book titles once, for another forum - unfortunately I can't find it...

I remember, I was in the same forum... Lady Adara's, as I recall. I shall see if i can locate it...

 

[Anilori]

Don't worry, I found it and pasted it in a few pages back!

 

[Poppy]

I'm a native English speaker but I've been reading some Discworld books in French partly to brush up on my rusty A-level knowledge of the language.

I'm currently reading Men at Arms / Le Guet des Orfèvres and it's interesting to see how some of the less correct English used by eg Gaspode is translated. For instance, 'dunno' is 'chaispas' (a contraction of 'je ne sais pas'/'I don't know') 'wossname' becomes 'chaispasquoi' ('I don't know what').

Various contractions are used to give Gaspode what I'm guessing is the French equivalent of a sort of rough East End of London way of speaking: 'T'as d'la veine que j'sois là' for instance, instead of 'Tu as de la veine que je sois là' ('you're lucky I'm here'), and the 'ne' is missed out of negative phrases: 'j'suis pas membre' instead of 'je ne suis pas membre' ('I'm not a member').

Also it's interesting to see who uses 'tu' (the informal 'you') and who uses 'vous' (the formal 'you'). Carrot and Angua, for instance, use 'vous' to each other throughout, even though I'd have thought Carrot would say 'tu' to Angua as he outranks her. Angua and Gaspode use the informal 'tu' to each other straight away, and Nobby and Colon are also on informal terms. Death, as a consummate professional, uses 'vous' to all his clients! Does this stay the same in other languages where there's a similar distinction?

(PS - Apologies for any incorrect French)

 

[Tonyblack]

Welcome to the site Poppy! Some interesting observations there.

 

[Macarona]

the 'ne' is missed out of negative phrases

Having lived in france it is interesting to see the extremely formal version of french taught at A-level, chaispas and removal of ne is often used in regular speech and especially with children having a chat. I just find it interesting that such things are considered irregular by an A-level student.

 

[michelanCello]

Welcome, Poppy!

Ow, and about the formal/informal "you" - that's what I always liked in english language... I mean, there's the I don't know how many past tenses and other l"ovely" grammar forms english learners have to deal with, but at least I don't have to think about the fact whether I should address someone informally or formally (which is the case in any other language I know )