I so much wanted to love this book. I like steampunk, I am from a Slavic country, what's not to love? Well, the thing is, I do not know Lithuanian. So I had to read this book in English translation. And here is a problem - translation is a work of art. Or at last a craft. Google is not your friend even if you're trying to translate a manual. Google is your enemy when trying to translate a work of fiction.
I am not sure who translated this book - my Amazon-purchased copy did not have a translator's name anywhere prominent (and I will admit - I did not spend a lot of time looking), but I have this lurking suspicion that the author decided to do it himself. And while whoever did it has a knowledge of English, he (or she) most definitely has no FEEL of English. Idioms are not translatable, period. Not even a little bit. So while I could somehow figure most of it out, knowing one or two Slavic languages, I do not think English-only speaking reader would be as lucky.
Fluidity is important to me while reading a work of fiction. I hate being jerked out of the flow by "WHA...?" sensation. I want to be immersed in the action, not constantly flailing around trying to get a meaning, or just simply shaking my head. Here are some examples of this:
Fabric "greatly resembling a grey mouse" Huh??
"Broceours" what is that?? I guessed brokers or guides?
"Gouvernantes" - my guess was governesses.
"... in a wink of an eye." Really??? Not a blink?
"saw Lady Luck flying into his arms" - what the Hell??!!
"Wake him AFTER two hours." Seriously?
"We will look for the bridge when we get to the river" - which in real English is "we will cross that bridge when we come to it."
"...racking their about brains"?? No comment.
Sweetie instead of candy or sweets. "...Once you gave them a sweetie."?? OMG
One though guy calling another "my dear". While this sounds OK in several slavic languages, it does not in English. The context is just such that "my dear" throws you out and there you go again - your concentration is broken and the flow interrupted.
OK, here's a great one - "...he was polishing his knuckles against the background of Mila's sweet chirping." What would be your guess?
"Why don't you strain your Jewish peepers?" I actually thought this meant "why don't you stain your Jewish papers", and then upon a short reflection realized it means "why don't you look what you're doing, Jew?" And that short reflection is what made me make a note of it, instead of read on. That defies the purpose of reading, it really does. At least of reading for fun. This is more like grading the English works of Lithuanian junior high students. This is hard! I don't want a hard work while reading for entertainment.
This list could go on, unfortunately. I just refused to constantly take notes while reading for pleasure.
Why three stars? I still think this book has a great potential, and if translated correctly (or given a once-or-twice-over by an English editor) could be a modest hit. As it is, however, not so much.
Scarica l'app Kindle gratuita e inizia a leggere immediatamente i libri Kindle sul tuo smartphone, tablet o computer, senza bisogno di un dispositivo Kindle.
Leggi immediatamente sul browser con Kindle per il Web.
Con la fotocamera del cellulare scansiona il codice di seguito e scarica l'app Kindle.
Segui l'autore
Si è verificato un errore. Riprova a effettuare la richiesta più tardi.
Outlet Libri
Libri a prezzo scontato Scopri
Libri in questa serie (1 libri)
Serie completa
Pagina 1 di 1Ricomincia da capoPagina 1 di 1
Informazioni sull'autore
Segui gli autori per ottenere aggiornamenti sulle nuove uscite, oltre a consigli avanzati.
Le recensioni migliori da altri paesi
Tawney L. Mazek
Fascinating world, intriguing plot
Recensito negli Stati Uniti il 15 gennaio 2014
