Maintained in Translation?

Reading and discussing Brain Friel's play, Translations for class has provided us with numerous ways in which things can be "lost" in translation--whether those things be meaning, sound, feeling, or something else.

My mission in this blog is two-fold: First, I would like to suggest, using the text of Translations as evidence, that often this phenomenon of "losing" things in translation occurs as a result of human laziness; and, secondly, I would like to provide an example of a "translation" that maintains the integrity of the original in order to prove the point that things don't have to be "lost" in translation if we make the effort to prevent that loss.

Mission Part 1: Human Laziness is to Blame (Surprise, Surprise) There is a scene in Translations that really suggests that sometimes we lose meaning of words (and sometimes the words themselves!) in translation because we, as human beings, have a tendency to be lazy and easily frustrated. This occurs on page 59, while Owen is trying to translate a conversation between Yolland and Maire. As we learn later, Yolland and Maire become romantically involved, and this scene may have been the beginning of their romance, as they attempt to share an "intimate" moment while discussing their waving to each other across the fields: Maire: We wave to each other across the fields. Yolland: Sorry-sorry? Owen: She says you wave to each other across the fields. Yoland: Yes, we do; oh yes, indeed we do. Maire: What's he saying? Owen: He says you wave to each other across the fields. Maire: That's right. So we do Yolland: What's she saying? Owen: Nothing--nothing--nothing. (to Maire) What's the news? (59). It is obvious that Owen has no interest in the awkward flirting going on between Maire and Yolland or the romantic undertones in their words, and he eventually grows frustrated with the whole conversation and stops translating; what could have been a romantic moment turns suddenly business-like. As a result, that nervous, awkward, "butterflies-in-your-stomach" romantic vibe between Yolland and Maire is "lost in translation." This seems to be a direct result of Owen's laziness, lack of interest, and frustration.

Mission Part 2: We Don't Have to Lose the "Feeling" of Words through Translation!



In my poetry class, we are currently studying the work of German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Rilke has written some amazing poems, and the text we have by him includes both the original German versions and their translations by Stephen Mitchell. Mitchell does such a magnificent job translating the emotion, feeling, and images that Rilke creates in his poems that the English versions are extremely powerful. You can read and listen to both the English and German versions here. I admit, I don't speak German, but I think the fact that I find the English translation so powerful suggests that translation doesn't have to result in a loss of feeling.

For those of you who have studied abroad, have you ever "lost" something in translation due to your own or another person's laziness or frustration? Is maintaining the "feeling" of words worth the extra time and effort it requires?