Translation

Discuss the July 2017 Book of the Month, My Trip to Adele by A.I.Alyaseer and R.I.Alyaseer.

View My Trip to Adele on Bookshelves

View My Trip to Adele on Amazon (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Gnome
Posts: 112
Joined: 23 Sep 2016, 05:19
Currently Reading: Fly: Goose Girl Retold (Romance a Medieval Fairytale, #3)
Bookshelf Size: 297
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gnome.html
Latest Review: Misreading Judas by Robert Wahler
Reading Device: B00OSKREVG

Translation

Post by Gnome »

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?
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53652
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: The Suite Life
Bookshelf Size: 2287
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

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.
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
Amagine
Posts: 5441
Joined: 04 Mar 2017, 19:27
Favorite Author: James Patterson
Bookshelf Size: 721
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-amagine.html
Latest Review: "Salome and Gogo visit Soweto" by Cora Groenewald
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG
fav_author_id: 3251

Post by Amagine »

I agree with gali. The translation wasn't very well done. There were a lot of awkward wording and confusing sentences in the story.
"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude." -A.A Milne

"I am grateful for all the books that sparked my imagination." -Unknown
Latest Review: "Salome and Gogo visit Soweto" by Cora Groenewald
User avatar
Jaime Lync
Posts: 1426
Joined: 15 Mar 2017, 19:33
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 120
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jaime-lync.html
Latest Review: You Are A Christian. NOW WHAT? by James Rondinone

Post by Jaime Lync »

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.
User avatar
elbchaymae
Posts: 4
Joined: 24 May 2017, 07:51
Currently Reading: Strong Heart
Bookshelf Size: 11
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-elbchaymae.html
Latest Review: "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer

Post by elbchaymae »

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
Latest Review: "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer
John Cand
Posts: 79
Joined: 16 Jun 2017, 11:28
Bookshelf Size: 10
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-john-cand.html
Latest Review: "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon

Post by John Cand »

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.
Latest Review: "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon
Gnome
Posts: 112
Joined: 23 Sep 2016, 05:19
Currently Reading: Fly: Goose Girl Retold (Romance a Medieval Fairytale, #3)
Bookshelf Size: 297
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gnome.html
Latest Review: Misreading Judas by Robert Wahler
Reading Device: B00OSKREVG

Post by Gnome »

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.
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53652
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: The Suite Life
Bookshelf Size: 2287
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

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. :eusa-think:
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
ChillAndRead
Posts: 74
Joined: 21 Dec 2016, 09:35
Bookshelf Size: 362
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chillandread.html
Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by ChillAndRead »

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.
Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
Eman Frasy
Posts: 37
Joined: 27 Apr 2017, 23:20
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-eman-frasy.html
Latest Review: Farmer Beau's Farm by Kathleen Geiger

Post by Eman Frasy »

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.
User avatar
Donnavila Marie01
Posts: 931
Joined: 19 Dec 2016, 02:39
Currently Reading: the one
Bookshelf Size: 89
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-donnavila-marie01.html
Latest Review: "America, It Was Just An Idea" by Dr. Rayna M. Gangi

Post by Donnavila Marie01 »

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.
Latest Review: "America, It Was Just An Idea" by Dr. Rayna M. Gangi
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11682
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

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.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
User avatar
Donnavila Marie01
Posts: 931
Joined: 19 Dec 2016, 02:39
Currently Reading: the one
Bookshelf Size: 89
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-donnavila-marie01.html
Latest Review: "America, It Was Just An Idea" by Dr. Rayna M. Gangi

Post by Donnavila Marie01 »

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.
Latest Review: "America, It Was Just An Idea" by Dr. Rayna M. Gangi
User avatar
MorganReadsBooks
Posts: 33
Joined: 07 Jun 2017, 11:22
Currently Reading: The 100 Best Poems of All Time
Bookshelf Size: 275
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-morganreadsbooks.html
Latest Review: "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer

Post by MorganReadsBooks »

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.
Latest Review: "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer, R.I.Alyaseer
User avatar
Ssinghal
Posts: 217
Joined: 28 May 2017, 01:49
Bookshelf Size: 1113
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ssinghal.html
Latest Review: "Call Me Pomeroy" by James Hanna

Post by Ssinghal »

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
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one...
-George RR Martin
Latest Review: "Call Me Pomeroy" by James Hanna
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "My Trip to Adele" by A.I.Alyaseer and R.I.Alyaseer”