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Re: HELP: Translating the Babel Text

From:Jeffrey Henning <jeffrey@...>
Date:Saturday, October 30, 2004, 15:25
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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Isaac A. Penzev <isaacp@...>