Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 7.015 June 6, 1997 1) esrog, fadists, et.al. (Arthur Komar) 2) Vos vert ibergezetst from Yiddish into English? (Sholem Berger) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 13:06:32 -0400 (EDT) From: Arthur Komar Subject: esrog, fadists, et.al. There may not be a Hindi word for persimmon but there is an English word for esrog. It is Citron. That would be the correct translation. Of course the subtle emotional overtones which led to the choice of that fruit in the context of the story require a feel for the culture. But is that all so very different from reading James Baldwin or Ann Beatty in English. (not to mention James Joyce!) Surely it's time to climb down from the Ivory Tower and try to communicate with us proste mentchen, fadists if you insist. Arre Komar 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 15:33:30 -0400 From: bergez01@mchip00.med.nyu.edu Subject: Vos vert ibergezetst from Yiddish into English? [English translation below.] Ikh bin lakhlutn nisht maskem mitn khosheven reb mechl ven er makht botl di gantse melokhes iberzetsn, vayl iberzetsung iz yo neytik, un mer vi dos--a muz. A ben-toyre vi asheri (vayl azoy zet er mir oys) darf gedenken, az halokhish geredt, tsum bayshpil, zaynen ale shprakhn giltik far ale tfiles, khuts getseylte oysnamen. Az me zetst sholem-aleykhem iber, m'iz im nisht boyged-- m'iz im mefarsem. Fundestvegn: baym hayntikn yidish-libhober farshaft dos iberzetsn epes a nisht-ayngenemen gefil vos geyt laf-dafke bloyz in snobizm. Lomir farglaykhn di haynttsaytike shpanish-shprakhike literatur (loytn moshl fun Martha Krow-Lucal) un di yidishe. Az me vil zikh farton in der shpanish-shprakhiker literatur, un me ken nisht genug shpanish, meg men sayvi adurkhleyenen durkh der gantser literarisher geshikhte--fun amol bizn kegnvart--mit der hilf fun eskperte iberzetsungen. S'iz tsum bavundern: nisht nor di groyse klasiker ken men leyenen in iberzetsung (Cervantes, Quevedo, Tirso de Molina), nor oykh di moderne tseleygers: Garcia Marquez, Vargas Llosa. (Aza getraye ibergezetste forshtelung funem gantsn geshpreyt fun a geviser literatur iz azoy merkverdik bay di in der yidish-velt, az kh'hob moyre az d"r Krow-Lucal nemt es af zikher.) Di iberzetsungen zaynen pinktlekh-shebepinktlekh, un me ken nokhgeyn di lange keyt fun der shpanisher literatur on tsu kenen nisht keyn vort shpanish. Di iberzetsung iz a makhsheyfe--me vert durkh ir farshpanisht. Vos zhe den iz der khilek mit der yidisher literatur? Tsvey khilukim shtern mir. Ershtns, zaynen di iberzetsungen fun yidish af english oftmol nisht tsu derlaydn. Nisht di umfarmaydlekhe umpinktlekhaytn un felern fun iberzetsn bikhlal meyn ikh do, nor di spetsiele fliaskedrines vos vendn zeyere nisht-kapable koykhes dafke on af der yidisher literatur, bansher yeder vos ken yidish fun der heym ken bemeyle iberzetsn a roman sholem-aleykhems. "Not all translations are as good as they might be" iz avade emes, nor vos shayekh yidish dakht zikh mir, az (khuts zeltene oysnamen) me shtelt zikh niderikere standardn, vi mit andere shprakhn. Derfar mayn ershte tayne: az me leyent di yidishe literatur in iberzetsung, un me meynt az me vert faryidisht derfun (azoy vi mit andere literaturn), iz men zikh leyder toye, vayl der same tamtses fun der yidisher literatur vert oftmol shlekht ibergegebn. Der tsveyter khilek hot tsu ton mit der moderner literatur af yidish. S'iz yo do, nor mit di hayntike iberzetsungen volt men gemeynt az basheyvis iz geven der letster yidisher shrayber af gor der velt. (Un azoy hot men take ongeshribn in di hespeydim fun di englsh-shprakhike tsaytungen.) Fun di iberzetsungen fun shpanish khapt men dem (emesn) ayndruk, az me shaft vayter af shpanish, az di shrayber fun fartsaytns zaynen keseyder mashpie af di hayntike, az dos vos me leyent fun (lemoshl) Cervantes helft men aroys mit der interpretatsye fun a shvern zats in Cela. Mit yidish iz leheypekh--krigt men dos (falshe) gefil az bashevis iz geven der eyn-un-eyntsiker nokhmilkhomediker prozaiker (Vu iz grade? vu zaynen di ale andere mayster?), un az sutskever (im tsu lengere yor!) iz der letster nokhmilkhomediker poet. S'iz nisht azoy, ober der/di vos leyent in iberzetsung veyst dokh nisht. Di emesdike keyt fun der literatur, vos tsit zikh ad-ayem, vert umpinktlekh--nisht nor umpinktlekh, nor umfarantvortlekh--ibergegebn der leyenershaft. Ikh hob amol gemeynt, az der shlekhter matsev vet zikh mit der tsayt tsubesern. S'dakht zikh mir ober, az neyn--az me geyt iberzetsn shoyn vider di verk fun sholem-aleykhem, shoyn vider a roman basheyvises, efsher mendele, a bisl perets fun farshidnkayt vegn. Di moderne literatur, di hayntike, vert koym barirt. Ikh hob gornisht tsu an ibergegebener "lover of Yiddish culture" vi Martha Krow-Lucal, un s'kumt ir a yasher-koyekh. Me darf zikh ober fregn, vos fara yidishe kultur hot zi lib--a kloymersht toyte, oder di emese, vos shtrebt nokh mit ale koykhes, khotsh zi rikht op farshmakhterhayt goles-nisht- ibergezetstkayt? I am in complete disagreement with Mechl Asheri when he dismisses the importance of translation--for translation is not just necessary, but a must. A Torah scholar like Asheri (or at least he seems so to me) ought to remember that all languages are acceptable in liturgical literature, halakhically speaking (with a few exceptions). When one translates Sholem Aleykhem there is no treason involved, only the needed internationalization of worthwhile thought. However, translation leaves a funny aftertaste in the mouth of the Yiddishist, and it doesn't only have to do with snobbism. Let me explain: Let's compare the modern Spanish-language literature (to take the example of Martha Krow-Lucal) with its Yiddish counterpart. If you want to get involved in Spanish-language literature and you don't know enough Spanish, your ignorance of the language doesn't matter--you can read through the entirety of Spanish-language literary history, past to present, with the help of expert translations. It's remarkable: you can read not just translations of the old classics (Cervantes, Quevedo, Tirso de Molina), but also the modern "classics" of Garcia Marquez and Vargas Llosa. (This faithful representation through translation of the millennial spread of a language's literature is so remarkable to those of us in the Yiddish literary community--see below for an explanation--that I fear Dr. Krow-Luca takes it for granted and imagines that the same automatically applies in the case of Yiddish.) Translations from Spanish, I've been told, are these days remarkably faithful, no matter what school the translator belongs to. Thus translation is a magician--one is transformed through it into something Spanish. Do what's the difference with translations from Yiddish? Two differences bother me. First, these translations into English are often unbearable. I don't mean here the unavoidable inexactitiudes and imperfections that any translation is subject to, but rather the apparently widespread notion among publishers that someone who knows Yiddish from home is perforce able to faithfully render a novel of Sholem Aleykhem. "Not all translations are as good as they might be" is certainly true, but in regard to Yiddish it seems to me (with certain exceptions, of course) that many translators set themselves lower standards than those who work from other languages. Therefore my first complaint: when one reads Yiddish literature in translation, and thinks that she's becoming (so to speak) "Yiddished," just as with other translated literatures she might be Russianed or Chinesed, she might be making an unfortunate mistake--the very essence of the literature is in many cases poorly transmitted. The second difference has to do with modern literature in Yiddish. It does exist, but from the modern translations (not just the translations themelves, but from what _gets_ translated at all) one might think, for example, that Isaac Bashevis Singer was the last Yiddish writer on the face of the earth. (And such was indeed written in the eulogies of many an English-language newspaper.) From translations of Spanish literature one gets the (true) impression that there is still a creative community in Spanish, that the writers from long ago continually influence those of today, that what one reads in (for example) Cervantes can help in the interpretaton of a difficult passage in Cela. With Yiddish it's not the case, and I don't mean "it's not the case because there aren't living Yiddish-language authors," which I'm sure would be the first resopnse of many a Yiddish professor. From Yiddish translations, rather, one gets the (false) impression that Singer was the one and only postwar novelist of note, and that Sutskever (im tsu lengere un sheferishe yor) is the last postwar poet. It's not true, but the readership of the present unrepresentative selection of translations from Yiddish doesn't know that. The true continuity of Yiddish literature, which is present even today, is unfaithfully--not just unfaithfully, but irresponsibly--presented to the readership. Once I thought that the situation would improve. Now it seems, unfortunately, that I was mistaken--Sholem Aleichem gets translated over and over, Singer also, Mendele too, Peretz. The modern literature, on the other hand, is barely touched. I have nothing against a devoted lover of Yiddish culture as Martha Krow-Lucal, who's probably better trained and better read than I am in our literature, and probably better able to interpret what she has gleaned from that culture. But one should ask: which Yiddish culture does she love, which Yiddish culture has she gleaned from her reading in translation? An ostensibly dead thing, or the true culture, which strives with every fiber of its being, though it languishes in untranslated exile? Sholem Berger New York ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 7.015 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. 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