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    Recommended reading for translators?

    Topic

    Recommended reading for translators?

    Comment
    Hi all, I know some of you have formally studied the art of translating, either at the university level or in a course here and there. I have not. When you take such a course, are there certain books about the practice & philosophy of translating that you read? Sort of in the theoretical direction? (Or is it all just hands-on practice?) I am interested in titles of books or web resources if you know any.
    AuthorStrawberry (357492) 04 May 11, 10:59
    Comment
    I didn't study the subject separately at university, but I have got a few books that have been useful.
    Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies (more theoretical)
    Translation Studies, by Susan Bassnett (also lots on theory)
    Technik des Übersetzens, by Wolf Friederich (practical)
    Routledge Thinking German Translation (also practical)
    #1Author CM2DD (236324) 04 May 11, 11:50
    Comment
    Ludwig Reiners, Stilfibel - Der sichere Weg zu gutem Deutsch
    Wolf Schneider, Deutsch für Profis
    #2Author MiMo (236780) 04 May 11, 12:28
    Comment
    I have Schneider's "Deutsch für Kenner", which I enjoyed; though I don't translate into German it had interesting insights into what complicated sentences really mean! More recently I bought "Deutsch! Das Handbuch für attraktive Texte", and that seemed to be basically the same book, though, just less succinctly put. How does "Deutsch für Profis" relate to "Deutsch für Kenner"?
    #3Author CM2DD (236324) 04 May 11, 14:01
    Comment
    Einen recht guten und umfassenden Überblick bietet m.E. das Buch "Übersetzungstheorien" von Radegundis Stolze (Narr Studienbücher).
    #4Author Woody 1 (455616) 04 May 11, 16:03
    Comment
    Here are a couple that crop up regularly in the U.S., at least:

    The Translation Studies Reader – Lawrence Venuti
    Critical Readings in Translation Studies – Mona Baker

    There's definitely theory involved in translation classes, though of course the focus will vary. Maybe you should poke around and see if you can get the reading list from a university-level introductory translation class that interests you? If you're looking for theory, you should make sure the class is in translation specifically, though, and not translation as a subset of foreign language.
    #5AuthorKatydid (US) (694445) 04 May 11, 17:38
    Comment
    Judith Macheiner: Übersetzen. Ein Vademecum. Frankfurt: Eichborn 1995. Ist leider vergriffen, aber vielleicht über zvab.de oder sonstwie antiquarisch zu finden.
    Lyn Dupré: Bugs in Writing. A Guide To Debugging Your Prose. Addison Wesley 1998
    The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Addison Wesley 1993
    The Economist Style Guide. The Essentials of Elegant Writing. Addison Wesley 1992
    There may be newer editions of the AW titles.
    #6Author Dr. Dark (658186) 04 May 11, 18:19
    Comment
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/38194177/Zimmer-Die...

    Nicht systematisch, auch nicht mehr taufrisch, aber voller interessanter Einsichten und sehr unterhaltsam: Im oben angegebenen Link "Wettbewerb der Übersetzer" auf S. 235.

    http://www.dezimmer.net/
    Dieter E. Zimmer hat auch eine Webseite, auf der sich etliche Artikel mit Literaturübersetzungen befassen.

    Nicht genau das, was du suchst, sondern eher anekdotisch.
    #7Author wupperwolf (411909) 04 May 11, 19:51
    Comment
    "Handbuch Translation" von Mary Snell-Hornby et al. War bei uns an der Uni quasi Pflichtlektüre, da es "die Kluft zwischen Theorie und Praxis schließt" (haben zumindest die Profs behauptet). Läßt sich gut lesen und bietet interessante Einblicke und Herangehensweisen. Hmm, was gab's denn da noch? "Konstruktives Übersetzen" von Hans G. Hönig (das kenne ich persönlich nicht) und "Kreatives Übersetzen" von Paul Kußmaul. Das hab ich im Grundstudium gelesen und fand's nicht schlecht, vor allem weil viele praxisrelevante Beispiele beschrieben werden. Von daher eignet es sich sehr gut als Einstiegshilfe. Für Fachübersetzungen muss man sich aber etwas tiefer in die Materie begeben, da gibt's dann aber auch spezielle Bücher.
    #8Author Little Madeleine (759303) 05 May 11, 09:38
    Comment
    Thanks for the suggestions! There is more out there than I imagined. So which one of these can you take to the beach? ;)

    Currently I'm doing a lot of 1:1 translating (and correcting documents that have already been "helpfully" translated for me) and I sometimes ask myself if or how I should be translating cultural contexts (OK, sometimes I think my German colleagues are, in certain contexts I see, way too direct), or to what extent should you adapt a foreign text to a new audience, even if this means writing something that wasn't in the original. Clear thoughts on this matter are obstructed by my own preferences and opinions too. These and other topics I look forward to reading about. Thanks all!
    #9AuthorStrawberry (357492) 06 May 11, 09:52
     
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