Dear Translators, ye who translate books from language one to language two, I thank you. Without you, I could not have read some of my favorite books, as I am much too lazy to go learn Old English. However...well...
There is a book that I like. It's overblown, and sometimes dramatic to the point of absurdity--or it would have been absurd in the hands of the wrong author--but I love it anyway. It's one of those things that you either like or you don't.
Now, this book was written in French. The first translator--the man who made the only existing English translation for years--took it upon himself to "improve" the original and sometimes delete entire paragraphs out of the book (which explains some of the odd choppiness that I first noted). Because of this, and since it was the only existing translation for close to sixty years, it's still marketed as complete and unabridged (even when it has been severely cut down). When I discovered this in an article, I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. I hurried to my bookshelf, went through my list of books, pulled out the one I desired and there it was.
Translated by Mr.-I'm-Going-To-Improve-A-Classic.
There are now several different editions, translated by someone who had the grace to leave the book intact (only in English)...none of which I own or can find.
So, this is a desperate plea to all translators, present and future. If you are ever in charge of translating a book from Language A to Language B, please remember that someone will get angry if you cut out entire paragraphs. Very angry. And that someone might just be Miss Celestine.
Remember. Every time you cut out a paragraph, Miss Celestine cries.
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