(Untitled)

[russandol_0]

I've been told some of you might find this interesting, if not amusing.

Those of you who have read the letters of J.R.R. Tolkien may remember how hilariously annoyed Tolkien was about the "efforts" of the Swedish translator of of the Lord of the Rings, Ake Ohlmarks. Let me tell you that Ohlmarks is an amateur, a lousy amateur compared with the

Comments

[lommy]

I don't know whether I should be amused or horrified, and as being amused is much more fun I guess I am amused then. :D

Though I must say I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything while reading this one:
"Who does he think he is, setting up on his filthy white badges?"
"Was denkt der eigentlich, wer er ist? Denkt er, er kann seine eigene Firma aufmachen, mit seinem schmierigen weißen Logo?
"Who does he think he is? Does he think, he can open up his own firm with his smeary white logo?"

[rikae311]

Yes, that was my...er, favorite...too. *laughs*

[volobm]

I rather think that this horrible terrible unforgivable. :O

"Why?"

[eledhwen_ch]

Argh! Don't get me started on this again

[russandol_0]

Sorry to have brought it up again. ;)

I just picked out a few really bad examples. Indeed, the things like "Chef" are much more annoying because they appear throughout the book, and not just at a few places.

Here's a statement from the German Tolkien Society, btw (translated by me, again):

"Krege has interesting approaches and is in places better than Carroux. However, his modernisations are so defacing and many mistakes as regards content so catastrophic, that one cannot accept it."

[russandol_0]

"Why?"

Publisher greed combined with a veery big linguist's ego, I would guess.

[firefoot_1428]

It's more like a spoof than anything someone would actually do for real, which is what makes it so horrifying...

[russandol_0]

Absolutely!

Taken out of context, you couldn't distinguish the phrases from a parody.

[memoryleaveme]

For sure...

Argh!

[thesixthwizard]

Unbeknownst to us all, Tolkien has moved exactly 4 and a half inches lower in the earth from the intensity of the spinning. :D