Re: HELP: Translating the Babel Text
| From: | Jeffrey Henning <jeffrey@...> |
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| Date: | Saturday, October 30, 2004, 15:25 |
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On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 14:32:57 -0000, caeruleancentaur
<caeruleancentaur@...> wrote:
>The whole purpose of that line in the story was to explain to the
>Hebrew culture what the Mesopotamian culture used for building. In
>their mountains the Hebrews used stone/mortar while on the
>Mesopotamian plain they used brick/asphalt. If at all possible, if
>the culture does know what stone/bricks/asphalt/mortar are, then
>those words should be used. We're not trying to tell the reader how
>to build a tower, but how that particular culture built a tower.
I guess we should agree to disagree: the translator can have their own
agenda. Are they trying to convey a story that they see as literally true?
Are they trying to convey a story that they regard as a parable? If it is
literally true, then translate it as equivalently as possible. If it is a
parable, then translate it into cultural terms that convey the essence of
the story.
- Jeffrey
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