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Roth's translations of _Hector Servadac_

From: Arthur B. Evans <aevans2~at~mail.tds.net>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:49:48 -0500
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

Ron is right. Roth's translations are pretty bad indeed.

Here's a sample:
The first is my translation from Verne's original text.
The second if from Roth's _To the Sun?_ and _Off on a Comet!_ (New York:
Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, 1877-78) [rpt. as _To the Sun? Off on a
Comet!_ trans.Edward Roth (New York: Dover, 1960)].

excerpts from Part I, Chap. 14:
  “Sirs,” said Count Timascheff, “the disaster has been immense. Along this
whole eastern section of the Mediterranean, we
have not found a single trace of the old lands: neither those of Algeria nor
of Tunisia, except one little point—a rock emerging
from the sea near Carthage, and which contained the tomb of the king of
France...”
 “Louis the Ninth, I believe?” said the Brigadier.
 “More known by the name of Saint Louis, Sir!” countered Captain Servadac,
to whom Brigadier Murphy offered a wry half-
smile of concession.
  Then the Count told how ... (trans. ABE)

   “Gentlemen,” calmly continued the Count, “the disaster, I am sorry to
say, has been immense. Along the whole of the
eastern portion of the Mediterranean we have not be able to find a single
trace of the old countries—neither Algeria—nor
Tunis—except one little point, a rock emerging from the sea, near the ruins
of Carthage, and containing the tomb of Saint
Louis.”
 “Saint Louis? Saint Louis?” asked Murphy, who was no stronger in hagiology
than in geography. “Oliphant, who was Saint
Louis?”
 “Saint Louis—hum—haw—” answered the Major, a little more diffidently this
time; “Saint Louis is a seaport town in the
United States famous for cotton and corn and Indians. But—haw—the Saint
Louis spoken of by the Count—hum—was some
martyr of that name in the old times—hum—haw—yes, in the old times.”
 “You’re right, Major Oliphant,” observed Servadac, more impatiently than
ever before; “Saint Louis was a martyr; but he
was more, he was a king of France; he was still more, he was the best and
greatest king that ever sat on a throne in any age
and in any country!”
 The automatons showed their appreciation of this volunteered information by
a stiff formal bow, and the Count, rather
disliking to be interrupted so often, hastened to conclude his narrative in
as few words as possible.
  He told how ... (trans. Roth)

Get the idea?

All best,
Art
Received on Wed 02 Feb 2000 - 00:48:08 IST

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