Re: HELP: Translating the Babel Text

----- Original Message -----
From: Isaac A. Penzev <isaacp@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2004 1:31 PM
Subject: Re: HELP: Translating the Babel Text


> Carsten Becker wrote:
>
> > Using clay
> > bricks is not that widely spread. So should I rather
> > translate "Let's gather stones and wood" etc. because this
> > method belongs more tightly to the concept of building a
> > house and is more commonly known?
>
> No. This is wrong because bricks are important for the meaning of the
story.

  setting the theological parts aside, God couldn't destroy a house made of
stones or wood?


> For that purpose we need to know the essence of the story, what is
relevant
> and what is irrelevant. In this particular case bricks, being man-made,
are
> essential for the meaning, as opposed to stones, given by G-d as they are.
 um, that might be true, but stones can be shaped just as well as bricks can
be (since mud was given by God, too).


> This is one of the principles the Wycliff Translators use. I think it is
> basicly wrong. When the cultural element in the story is relevant, it must
> be preserved, even if it needs long explanations, but not re-interpreted.
> Otherwise you can have smth like "In older days there were news, and the
> news were together with Humpbacked Spirit..."
 Quasimodo!

 :)

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