Oh, *books*
So yesterday I went and bought the first book in English of the Spice and Wolf novel series. I've enjoyed the tv series and the first two comics, and I have the first three books in Japanese...but I thought I'd read the first book in English and take a stab at the rest in Japanese. So, I'm reading this book and I dunno if it's because I know it's a translation or what, because I can practically imagine the original Japanese of some of the sentences. I'm not sure they paid enough for their translators for it, because some of the language is a little painfully stilted. That being said, I came across a section that I think probably can't be blamed on translation and is, to my mind, just kind of weird, and I wish to share it with you. I'll just start by saying it's probably good to know the main character is a traveling and he's got a cart and a cart horse. Anyway, the passage is as follows:
Still, having spent so many days alone with a horse, he started to feel that it would be nice if the horse could speak.
Stories of carthorses becoming human were not uncommon among traveling merchants, and Lawrence had since the beginning laughed off such yarns as ridiculous, but lately he wondered if they could be true.
When a young merchant went to buy a horse from a horse trader, some would even recommend a mare with a completely straight face, 'just in case she turns human on you'.
This had happened to Lawrence, who'd ignored the advice and bought a sturdy stallion.
The same horse was working steadily in front of him even now, but as time passed and Lawrence grew lonely, he wondered if he might'nt have been better off with a mare after all
Maybe I'm just weird, but the whole passage was odd. I blame the author more than the translation, but it made me laugh just the same.
Still, having spent so many days alone with a horse, he started to feel that it would be nice if the horse could speak.
Stories of carthorses becoming human were not uncommon among traveling merchants, and Lawrence had since the beginning laughed off such yarns as ridiculous, but lately he wondered if they could be true.
When a young merchant went to buy a horse from a horse trader, some would even recommend a mare with a completely straight face, 'just in case she turns human on you'.
This had happened to Lawrence, who'd ignored the advice and bought a sturdy stallion.
The same horse was working steadily in front of him even now, but as time passed and Lawrence grew lonely, he wondered if he might'nt have been better off with a mare after all
Maybe I'm just weird, but the whole passage was odd. I blame the author more than the translation, but it made me laugh just the same.