walkinmybat t1_itixn9p wrote
...just want to add, the date of translation makes a difference too... a book that was translated yesterday will certainly use English differently from one that was translated in 1900.
bhbhbhhh t1_itjo9lg wrote
When I read Gogol's Dead Souls I had two different translations on hand. The translation from the 1950s was simply much better written, but unfortunately had omissions.
owensum t1_itn4138 wrote
With these kind of translations there is often a choice whether to keep to the original style, or to improve it for readability. For instance, Dostoevsky's prose was pretty chaotic at times and some translators have chosen to polish it up. Others, notably Pevear & Volokhonsky, try to translate it as faithfully as possible, with the result being rougher. So this may explain it.
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