Do you read translated works on your native language or in English?I'm pondering on which translation to buy Brothers Karamazov for my first read. I have this notion that because English is much more popular, there would be better quality translations, but reading it in my native Portuguese could be easier for me, depending if the translator decides to not be fancy with outdated Portuguese lingo.
>>25275235My native language is monkey babble.
>>25275235Russian to English is notoriously pretty bad. It doesn't matter that it's "popular" (it likely seems that way because you're on the English speaking internet), the languages are just too different. Syntax, sentence structure, word choices (ты/вы vs. just "you"), etc. I'll concede that there's probably more information on the quality of English translations, but I still think you'd be better served reading it in your native language, even if I know nothing about Portoguese translations. Maybe try both and see which one you prefer?
>>25275402English is a notoriously shitty language.
>>25275235my native language is serbian so the translation is much better than the english one because serbian is more closely related to russian
English is a barbarian language.A editora 34 é famosa por traduções do russo, pode ir sem medo
mostly in english (also because they're easier to get)specifically for russian works I prefer my native language, as I live in a neighbouring country and the translations are pretty good
>>25275235>pirate ebooks>compare translations>go with the one I like the mostSometimes I go with English, sometimes with my mother tongue.
>>25275235>>25275402Worst book I ever read was a translation from Russian by a Ukrainian,. I always thought I'd love to read some of the great works but as I only have poor literacy in German and Spanish I haven't really bother. Reading that book ('How the Steel was Tempered') which I was given cemented my view that you should read fiction in its original language; although I think it was just a bad book anyway, a very on the nose piece of Bolshevik propaganda. That view I had from reading translations of the Montalbano books, as they definitely seem not right despite being good stories,>>25275407>he writes in English fuck off
>>25275235Paulo Bezerra downplays Dostoevsky's conservative leaningsRead Oleg Almeida's translations
>>25275235If you are alluding to Dostoevsky’s worst novels, then, indeed, I dislike intensely The Brothers Karamazov and the ghastly Crime and Punishment rigamarole. No, I do not object to soul-searching and self-revelation, but in those books the soul, and the sins, and the sentimentality, and the journalese, hardly warrant the tedious and muddled search. Dostoyevsky’s lack of taste, his monotonous dealings with persons suffering with pre-Freudian complexes, the way he has of wallowing in the tragic misadventures of human dignity – all this is difficult to admire. I do not like this trick his characters have of ”sinning their way to Jesus” or, as a Russian author, Ivan Bunin, put it more bluntly, ”spilling Jesus all over the place." Crime and Punishment’s plot did not seem as incredibly banal in 1866 when the book was written as it does now when noble prostitutes are apt to be received a little cynically by experienced readers. Dostoyevsky never really got over the influence which the European mystery novel and the sentimental novel made upon him. The sentimental influence implied that kind of conflict he liked—placing virtuous people in pathetic situations and then extracting from these situations the last ounce of pathos. Non-Russian readers do not realize two things: that not all Russians love Dostoevsky as much as Americans do, and that most of those Russians who do, venerate him as a mystic and not as an artist. He was a prophet, a claptrap journalist and a slapdash comedian. I admit that some of his scenes, some of his tremendous farcical rows are extraordinarily amusing. But his sensitive murderers and soulful prostitutes are not to be endured for one moment—by this reader anyway. Dostoyevsky seems to have been chosen by the destiny of Russian letters to become Russia’s greatest playwright, but he took the wrong turning and wrote novels.
>>25275235I read in english if that's the book's original language, otherwise I read in spanish because that's my native language and those are the only two languages I know. However, I try to look for the best translators and I suggest you do the same because I've had terrible experiences with some translations. I try to look for the best editions aswell.
>>25275235You should generally go for English except in exceptionally cases where the translation in your native language is exceptionally better than the English translation or when your native language is closer related to the original language than English (Ita. and Esp., Port., Romanian, Russian and other Slavic languages, etc.)
>>25275235I'm from England and read non-English books in French which my parents insisted I should master early on. I remember Ezra Pound trashing the English-speaking translation scene especially compared to French and he was right. Certainly, aside from French originals, Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish and German are much better translated in French than English, and that covers almost all literature of interest to me. Anything Jap too because they take weebism seriously. I mention Pound above, but I got the habit from my anime watching days where English versions are just deficient and bizarre and you're better off consuming it in any language other than English.
