Oxygen Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Which translations (rather than editions) of Que Vadis and Les Miserables are the best? Which dictionary is the best? Websters? Have a great day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Bucko Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Undoubtedly the best translation of "Quo Vadis" is that of Jeremiah Curtin, to whom the author Sienkiewicz wrote: "I can only desire that you and no one else should translate all that I write." The modern translations are inelegant and inaccurate. As to the best translation of "Les Miserables," I have not compared too many versions, but my favorite is that of Isabel F Hapgood. As far as dictionaries: search this Forum, I recall someone else offered some recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillinger Escapes Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Undoubtedly the best translation of "Quo Vadis" is that of Jeremiah Curtin, to whom the author Sienkiewicz wrote: "I can only desire that you and no one else should translate all that I write." The modern translations are inelegant and inaccurate. Oh, odd timing! I just checked out Quo Vadis from my library. I have not yet started reading it. This version is translated by W.S. Kuniczak. The best though is by Jeremiah Curtin, hm? In that case, I'll just have to pick that one up. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgessLau Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Which dictionary is the best? Best for what purposes? What budget? Your Viewer Profile provides no useful information, so explain a little about who you are, what your goals in life are, and what your intellectual ambitions are. With that as context, others in this forum might be able to make suggestions, if your search of this forum for "dictionary" doesn't pay off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godless Capitalist Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 For a casual reference dictionary, I suggest American Heritage (mostly because of the useful usage notes). For more serious use, I suggest an old Webster's New Collegiate based on Webster's New International Dictionary 2nd edition (NOT 3rd edition and NOT Webster's New World) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed from OC Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Which translations (rather than editions) of Que Vadis and Les Miserables are the best? About the latter, Graham Robb writes in his Victor Hugo biography: "The best-known English translation (Penguin, 1982) is a Swiss cheese of unavowed omissions and bears out Hugo's comments on translation as a form of censorship. ... Hundreds of bizarre, arresting images are lost in the process." (footnote, p. 382) There's more discussion here. There are several translations out there, and I haven't compared them all firsthand. If you have a rare or used bookstore nearby, see if they have an older copy with a different translation. Even then, I'd carefully compare a couple of passages. I don't know of a really good comparison of the various translations of Hugo's novels, but perhaps someday a Hugo scholar would put one together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_speicher Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Which dictionary is the best? Websters? For both scope of definitions and etymology the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is generally considered to be the best single source. If you are a university student, many universities provide access to the online version of the OED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay P Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Thanks to Bill Bucko for recommending the Jeremiah Curtin translation of Quo Vadis. Fortunately that's the one I happened to pick up at a friends-of-the-library book sale a few years back, so now I have yet another reason motivating me to read it. ...... As to dictionaries, here's another vote for the Oxford English Dictionary. That dictionary is without peer if one wants to trace the origin of a word and see how it was used through the centuries. Look up a word and you'll find it used in quotations, sometimes dating back to the 12th century. The OED is a great human achievement. If you have access to it, take a look some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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