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Re: Etext renditions of JV translations

From: James D. Keeline <keeline~at~adnc.com>
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 14:33:14 -0800
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

"Arthur B. Evans" wrote:
>
> Do you see the pattern here? The 1911 Vincent Parke edition, edited by
> Charles F. Horne, includes some of the most atrocious English-language
> translation of Verne's works that had ever been done.
>
> Sorry to burst anyone's bubble. But it's sad to see the Gutenberg project
> waste their efforts on such poor translations. Worse still, it's alarming
> that these texts (not the real Verne) will take on a new life in cyberspace.
>
> Best,
> Art Evans

Since Project Gutenberg and other etext databases rely on public domain
texts, it is almost a certainty that they will use the old-bad trans-
lations rather than any good ones which exist. Also, since the 1911
editions are generally easier to find than the earlier ones which might
have good translations (ie 1869 FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON), it is not very
surprising that this is the result. Most of the "good" translations you
mention would still be protected by copyright and as such are not candi-
dates for Project Gutenberg texts unless the copyright holders wish to
place them in the public domain prematurely.

James D. Keeline
http://www.keeline.com
Received on Wed 02 Feb 2000 - 00:33:23 IST

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