I'm glad translators all over the world chose to translate the English names of people and places because you would miss so much if it was all in a language you didn't understand.
I hadn't thought about the specific challenges of translating names and place names in a fictional world, but this is very interesting and it's fun to see the different maps.
No idea what that top pic is supposed to represent. I think you made two good guesses.
Good to hear you found it interesting, Yeux. You're right, it was a lot of work, especially cleaning up the maps from very murky photographs. I wanted to post thumbnails here, with a link to my HD pictures but I couldn't figure out how to do that from my photobucket account. Still got to learn a lot.
I wanted to post thumbnails here, with a link to my HD pictures but I couldn't figure out how to do that from my photobucket account. Still got to learn a lot.
I thought I explained to you a while ago about how to do thumbnails at Photobucket. If you don't remember, I'll explain again. It's VERY easy to do.
"I thought I explained to you a while ago about how to do thumbnails at Photobucket"
You did explain it to me. This is what you wrote: "Do you use Photobucket? It's easy to do thumbnails there...just copy the thumbnail code when you post a photo."
The problem is that there is no "thumbnail code" on my Photobucket page. The options I can see are: Email & IM, Direct, HTML and IMG. Perhaps I'm overlooking something quite obvious.
I'm glad you liked the post, Jan. I had forgotten all about Cor Blok's LOTR illustrations. I remember seeing some of them a long time ago but I never had the calendar. As you say, his Gollum is unfortunate but the Mirror-mere illustration is wonderful. The "Across So Wide A Sea panels are beautiful. I loved that glimpse of Middle Earth behind the cloud and the image of the two reunited hobbits quietly smoking a pipe. Frodo looks remarkably familiar. I suspect the key to Tolkien’s angry comment about the Dutch translation lies in this sentence: “even if he could in a few months create a new coherent structure which it took me years to work out”. Of course, Tolkien would feel protective about the world that took him so much time and effort to create but I feel he may have underestimated how much of the magic of that world would have been lost to a non-English speaker if the nomenclature had remained entirely un-translated. Thank you for the link to Dr. Lynn Forest Hill’s work. I should try to contact her.
I wrote to Lynn this afternoon and linked her to the post. I'm sure she'll reply, but just what she'll say there's no way to know.
I quite agree with the your analysis. I would feel the same way the Prof. did. But you certainly would think (being the person of language he was, the word-smith and master of it) that he'd realize the impact of non-translation. At the end of the day, he may have felt that the words he used were words enough.
There are so many things I'd like to write 'to'. And now, beyond all imagining, Cor Blok is one of those things. Who knew? Certainly not jan!
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The artwork on your covers is very interesting. I can't decide which of your ideas of what is happening I believe. I could be either! :))
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No idea what that top pic is supposed to represent. I think you made two good guesses.
Thanks for sharing.
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I thought I explained to you a while ago about how to do thumbnails at Photobucket. If you don't remember, I'll explain again. It's VERY easy to do.
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You did explain it to me. This is what you wrote: "Do you use Photobucket? It's easy to do thumbnails there...just copy the thumbnail code when you post a photo."
The problem is that there is no "thumbnail code" on my Photobucket page. The options I can see are: Email & IM, Direct, HTML and IMG. Perhaps I'm overlooking something quite obvious.
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Yes, my bet is also on the Cirith Ungol scene.
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I had forgotten all about Cor Blok's LOTR illustrations. I remember seeing some of them a long time ago but I never had the calendar. As you say, his Gollum is unfortunate but the Mirror-mere illustration is wonderful.
The "Across So Wide A Sea panels are beautiful. I loved that glimpse of Middle Earth behind the cloud and the image of the two reunited hobbits quietly smoking a pipe. Frodo looks remarkably familiar.
I suspect the key to Tolkien’s angry comment about the Dutch translation lies in this sentence: “even if he could in a few months create a new coherent structure which it took me years to work out”. Of course, Tolkien would feel protective about the world that took him so much time and effort to create but I feel he may have underestimated how much of the magic of that world would have been lost to a non-English speaker if the nomenclature had remained entirely un-translated.
Thank you for the link to Dr. Lynn Forest Hill’s work. I should try to contact her.
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I quite agree with the your analysis. I would feel the same way the Prof. did. But you certainly would think (being the person of language he was, the word-smith and master of it) that he'd realize the impact of non-translation. At the end of the day, he may have felt that the words he used were words enough.
There are so many things I'd like to write 'to'. And now, beyond all imagining, Cor Blok is one of those things. Who knew? Certainly not jan!
(loved the post!)
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