dark days in Russian translation
Sep. 9th, 2012 08:31 pmI'm reading David Bellos' Is That a Fish in Your Ear: Translation and the Meaning of Everything, and I came across the following tidbit.
"The Belarusan novelist Vasil Bykaŭ, for example, was translated into Russian, which provided first entry to the world concert of books. However, Soviet translators did not dare reproduce his meaning too closely. In Alpjskaja Balada (Alpine Ballad; 1963), the hero tries to explain to a naive foreigner about his country, saying, 'It will get better someday. Things cannot go on being lousy forever.' In Russian translation, the sentence reads, 'The collective farm is good.'"
Great pad thai!
Feb. 12th, 2012 12:57 pmThis recipe is amazing. Seriously, try it. http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/pad-thai.
I substituted a teaspoon (and could increase it to a tablespoon) of soy sauce for all of the fish sauce and the things listed as optional are in fact optional (banana flower -- there is no way). I made the tamarind paste by hand because Mom had dried tamarind pods laying around, but there such things to be bought even in Great Falls.
I substituted a teaspoon (and could increase it to a tablespoon) of soy sauce for all of the fish sauce and the things listed as optional are in fact optional (banana flower -- there is no way). I made the tamarind paste by hand because Mom had dried tamarind pods laying around, but there such things to be bought even in Great Falls.
Geraldine Harris -- The Seven Citadels
Feb. 10th, 2012 11:00 amHas anyone read this quartet? It consists of four short young adult novels written by an Oxford Egyptologist. Its protagonist is a selfish, spoiled and excessively beautiful prince who goes through a process of spiritual purification as he searches for the seven keys that will save his decayingkingdom. Many of his companions play allegorical roles, and each key is held by a sorcerer representing and embodying an approach to life (often intellectual life). He has complex dialogues with this cynical, ugly dwarf he picks up that vaguely recall Jesus and Nietzsche (Nietzsche had a sort of personal construction of Jesus that he related to with some sympathy), though that may be more me than her. I love the ideas in the book -- it's probably putting it in a bit of a straightjacket to call it allegory but that was how it struck me the first time I read it.
What initially attracted me to these books was Diana Wynne Jones's cover blurb.
She also refers to them in a not entirely unkind light in the Tough Guide to Fantasy (unless I'm much mistaken), and whe included a Harris story in a collection she edited. There are so many scenes in them that have stuck in my head and inspired me.
They're out of print but it appears a new publisher has gotten hold of them (and given them really horrible covers -- think the style of the dreadful new Narnia book covers, with the added problem that they seem to have made the icon for the sorcerers' towers crenellated castle towers with crosses in them when the whole thing is set somewhere based on the Near East as far as I can tell -- there is a pretty guy on the front even though he doesn't look like any of the characters; I assume he's Kerish, but Kerish is supposed to be sort of fragile and bishounen and have gold in his eyes as well as purple...).
What initially attracted me to these books was Diana Wynne Jones's cover blurb.
She also refers to them in a not entirely unkind light in the Tough Guide to Fantasy (unless I'm much mistaken), and whe included a Harris story in a collection she edited. There are so many scenes in them that have stuck in my head and inspired me.
They're out of print but it appears a new publisher has gotten hold of them (and given them really horrible covers -- think the style of the dreadful new Narnia book covers, with the added problem that they seem to have made the icon for the sorcerers' towers crenellated castle towers with crosses in them when the whole thing is set somewhere based on the Near East as far as I can tell -- there is a pretty guy on the front even though he doesn't look like any of the characters; I assume he's Kerish, but Kerish is supposed to be sort of fragile and bishounen and have gold in his eyes as well as purple...).
Russian happies!
Feb. 9th, 2012 07:43 pmThere's this lovely contest called the Young Translator's Award judged in Oxford annually, open to traslators under 25, that my professor introduced me to senior year of college. I wasn't able to participate last year and at college my entry was so rushed I was ashamed to ask for feedback. This year I have a first draft and it's more than a month until it's due.
I'm also participating in an online workshop on translating Vysotsky's songs. (one of a group of Russian folk musicians known as bards, more of a phenomenon than pretty much anyone in America according to Wikipedia; here's the song I'm working on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-JQactox28)
Finally, I may try to translate one of Marina Tsvetaeva's poems for a contest in June.
In the meantime I am still trying to translate vast amounts of Derzhavin, although I have traced the existence of a magnificent although curiously unavailable set of translations by Alexander Levitsky, head of the Russian department at Brown.
Summary: there is a lot on my plate and it's going well.
I'm also participating in an online workshop on translating Vysotsky's songs. (one of a group of Russian folk musicians known as bards, more of a phenomenon than pretty much anyone in America according to Wikipedia; here's the song I'm working on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-JQactox28)
Finally, I may try to translate one of Marina Tsvetaeva's poems for a contest in June.
In the meantime I am still trying to translate vast amounts of Derzhavin, although I have traced the existence of a magnificent although curiously unavailable set of translations by Alexander Levitsky, head of the Russian department at Brown.
Summary: there is a lot on my plate and it's going well.
Have begun my cooking saga. As of last night, I have officially graduated from "I can sort of stir fry things if given detailed instructions and allowed to call my mom to make sure I'm not going to burn down the house" to "I can cook!"
The dish in question was cauliflower and potato in herb sauce, except that we didn't have tomato paste and had to substitute this Italian product with all of the wrong herbs. :( It is still pretty good.
The dish in question was cauliflower and potato in herb sauce, except that we didn't have tomato paste and had to substitute this Italian product with all of the wrong herbs. :( It is still pretty good.
vegetarian
Dec. 27th, 2011 01:37 pmI've been concerned about animal welfare for years and have not done anything about it--to the extent there's an excuse it's that I love meat and dairy and know that one person's diet, without my getting into political activism that's beyond me right now, will make that much of a difference. Possibly I should go vegan and definitely intend to aim for humanely produced dairy until / if I do, but working out a vegan diet is going to take up too much of my time and is risky health-wise to boot.
I would really be interested in my friends' take--ethically and scientifically--on vegetarianism or any animal rights issues. To be very plain--are most species sentient / conscious enough that it matters? My intuition from living around animals for years the way we all have says ABSOLUTELY, but intuition is fallible, and many scientific sources seem to say no. My impression is that we don't know nearly enough yet to have any idea. Why are or aren't you a vegetarian?
If you are lurking on my journal and going to poke up your head and reply, this is the entry to do it on.
I would really be interested in my friends' take--ethically and scientifically--on vegetarianism or any animal rights issues. To be very plain--are most species sentient / conscious enough that it matters? My intuition from living around animals for years the way we all have says ABSOLUTELY, but intuition is fallible, and many scientific sources seem to say no. My impression is that we don't know nearly enough yet to have any idea. Why are or aren't you a vegetarian?
If you are lurking on my journal and going to poke up your head and reply, this is the entry to do it on.
fiber arts filter
Dec. 26th, 2011 03:27 pmA few more knitting / crochet projects have been suggested to me and it occurs to me since there will be more I should make a filter. Let me know if you want to see pictures / progress updates.
C.S. Lewis
Dec. 23rd, 2011 10:16 amC.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, a reason I love Christmas, and one of the reasons I'm less cynical about Christianity than I might be, so I thought I'd share some favorite quotations. I confess they come from an online source although they've had a long and much-loved life on my laptop. If anyone is interested in more I will add a few longer ones of my own choosing. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Festivus, ...visit of Sanyo???.... At any rate, <3.
Eros will have naked bodies; Friendship naked personalities.
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.
Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
Eros will have naked bodies; Friendship naked personalities.
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.
Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
Christmas, definitely Christmas. Carols, lights, stories, food, making art for people, also oddly enough C.S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength, which for a few years I read every Christmas. Lots of good memories.
Otherwise, Chinooks--warm winds from the southwest that melt all the snow revealing dry gold prairie with a quality of light that is more or less unique, not to mention 70-degree weather that lets me and my father go on one of our favorite hikes without fear of rattlesnakes and ticks, which wait until spring.
Otherwise, Chinooks--warm winds from the southwest that melt all the snow revealing dry gold prairie with a quality of light that is more or less unique, not to mention 70-degree weather that lets me and my father go on one of our favorite hikes without fear of rattlesnakes and ticks, which wait until spring.
I have a Dreamwidth account!
Dec. 21st, 2011 11:27 amI have no intention of deleting my lj or putting much if any unique content here in the near future but in case you want to be friends with me over here as well. Thank you ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pastwatcher for reminding me of its existence and advantages.
pastwatcher for reminding me of its existence and advantages.Breaking Dawn
Dec. 11th, 2011 09:07 pm
I watched Breaking Dawn, and I'd say the movie about lives up to my memory of the book, which is that it's arguably the strangest and most disturbing of the Twilight saga (although all Edward's stalking, constant mockery, and controlling behavior and the portrayal of Bella's suicidal period when he left for her own good was disturbing too; instead of stick it to the man, the approach comes off as "stick it to the norms of psychological and relationship health," which is...complex at best) because she keeps insisting on vampire-human sex even though the first time Edward leaves her bruised and is pretty sure he could kill her accidentally and the plot hinges on her decision to keep her and Edward's almost impossible and completely unexpected baby against everyone's advice even though it is nearly certain that it will kill her. And also happiest, though the movie's broken in two and leaves off just as Bella is changed into a vampire, so we don't get to see Bella turn into the Mary Sue detractors of the series say she was all along and earn her immortality.
More Millery
Nov. 30th, 2011 06:41 pmI have the fiber from sen_ichi_rei all spun up and am in the process of making hats for my parents. My father's will be knitted from this pattern: http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns2/puffin-cable-hat.html, from lovely brown and black alpaca. My mom's will be crocheted from undyed silk, patterned after a favorite hat of hers, also silk, which is blue-green. Also, how do you post pictures from your hard drive using html mode instead of rich text?
The Singularity Is Near
Sep. 25th, 2011 04:30 pmThis is an incredible book I'm reading by Ray Kurzweil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_kurzweil) that I stumbled across on a trip to Nebraska with my father I just got back from.
Book meme!
Sep. 7th, 2011 01:00 pmFrom ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
landofnowhere from tiamat360.
These are the 100 top SF/F books according to a poll from NPR.
Bold what you've read completely
Italicize what you have read partially
Leave whatever other notes you want!
( One of the first of these to come my way )
landofnowhere from tiamat360.These are the 100 top SF/F books according to a poll from NPR.
Bold what you've read completely
Italicize what you have read partially
Leave whatever other notes you want!
( One of the first of these to come my way )
Mad Hatter
Jul. 29th, 2011 07:04 pmSummer in MT is uneventful, but I'm reading Alice in Wonderland in Russian and English, and I've retaught myself to crochet (my mom taught me to make squares when I was little). I plan to make hats for both my parents with fiber from sen_ichi_rei. Lovely fuzzy brown and black alpaca for my dad and undyed silk for my mom, the former of which I'm spinning right now.
sen_ichi_rei. Lovely fuzzy brown and black alpaca for my dad and undyed silk for my mom, the former of which I'm spinning right now.laptop doooooooom
Apr. 5th, 2011 08:34 pmI spilled coffee on my laptop and after sopping up what I could see continued playing on it until it meeped and presented the blue screen of death claiming it had performed what I remember fairly clearly as a permanent memory wipe.
Having determined that the warranty is in fact expired and wouldn't have covered this anyway, we disassembled the carcass with a Swiss army knife and it's spread out across the study floor drying. Really hope it will be ok tomorrow--fingers crossed. It served me well for four years and died a noble death (quality decaf), at any rate. Still, hope springs eternal.
UPDATE: The worst problem seems to be with the hard drive, on which, for starters, the password is turned on, and apparently pretty much my only option would be to send it to an expensive data recovery service (Dell provided a password that they thought could work and it didn't; since they only charge if the password works, I may try again). Also, I took out my old laptop that once got banned from the reg desk for infinite slowness and omg it is infinitely slow, as in it's been loading for maybe two hours and isn't loaded yet. Not to mention probably having hard drive problems itself that are why it was replaced in the first place. My poor sad little laptops!
Having determined that the warranty is in fact expired and wouldn't have covered this anyway, we disassembled the carcass with a Swiss army knife and it's spread out across the study floor drying. Really hope it will be ok tomorrow--fingers crossed. It served me well for four years and died a noble death (quality decaf), at any rate. Still, hope springs eternal.
UPDATE: The worst problem seems to be with the hard drive, on which, for starters, the password is turned on, and apparently pretty much my only option would be to send it to an expensive data recovery service (Dell provided a password that they thought could work and it didn't; since they only charge if the password works, I may try again). Also, I took out my old laptop that once got banned from the reg desk for infinite slowness and omg it is infinitely slow, as in it's been loading for maybe two hours and isn't loaded yet. Not to mention probably having hard drive problems itself that are why it was replaced in the first place. My poor sad little laptops!
