Scan barcode
psalmcat's review against another edition
5.0
It took me forever to read this, but it is so well-written and interesting that I couldn't give up on it. Starts with the basics of what defines translation and moves on to different concepts and quarrels within the translating community. Really fun, well-written, and quite a lot of stuff to chew on. It even made me rethink how I understand the story of the tower of Babel! The best part, as far as I am concerned, is his explanation of how the UN translators work, and how the lack of qualified candidates is becoming quite dire. The EU discussion was also fun, though I still don't have a clear picture on how it works: everything is done in all the EU languages? But...but...how??
calabrag's review against another edition
2.0
I learned some interesting things about language from this book, but reading it was a slog. It is not nearly as accessible as the title would seem to suggest, and I frequently got the impression that the author is someone who knows so much about his field at such a cerebral level that he's lost the ability to explain it clearly at a more basic level.
iambriam's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting book that was fun at times and a bit boring at times. But if you're looking for a practical and philosophical exploration of what translation is, this book covers every base! I was recommended it because of my interest in languages, and while I won't be translating anything anytime soon, it has sparked my interest in language again! One particular thing I remember, that nearly half of all books translated are translated from English to other languages (typically only around a dozen or so) but VERY FEW are translated into English from other languages. I am resolved to buy more translated books to (infinitesimally) drive up the demand -- we need more non-English books!
bookhookgeek's review against another edition
3.0
Very thorough and detailed (and so I ended up skimming through quite a bit :)
jadzia's review against another edition
5.0
I would like to be a translator one day, thus I decided to read Bellos' book to find out what is it about translation that is so special, so difficult and so important. And he answered all of my questions. Bellos book is ordered in a way, where he starts with the most general question, as "what is translation", "how it works" etc. and he goes through all the aspects, towards more specific and complicated topics. He explains how the translation works on the international level, and he also tackles (briefly), the topic of interpretation. I do not want to spoiler but according to Bellos translation is, after all, only a perfect match of meanings and languages were created not to ease the communication between people, but the highlight the differences between them. Hence, the process of translation is the way to overcome the obstacles and to improve the imperfect communication between different communities/societies. I really enjoyed Bellos' books, not only because it was so interesting and informative, but also it was wirtten in a funny way, and sometimes such a way of writing makes it so much easier to understand complex ideas, which translation undoubtedly is.