Translation errors and oddities in LTROI - a compilation

[PeteMork]

I agree. What an undertaking! So many new thoughts for us all to consider.

[Even]

A wonderful thread! I really want to thank you for the work you've put in here. I shouldn't be too down on the original translation, I can't know the circumstances in which that work was done, but I agree with most of your criticisms. It's been satisfying having these little confusions resolved. It's been a joy seeing some of these scenes sparkle. You've been entertaining too. Thank you again <3 x

[Even]

I think both translations lack the ominous finality the Swedish original evokes, thanks to the final t sound...

... To the native English speakers of this forum: What expression and spelling would you suggest?

This is deep WTI nerding, but it's funny that such a sound can cause such an issue. It is difficult, isn't it? I wish we had a better onomatopoeic equivalent. It's a very interesting topic regardless. I wouldn't be able to talk about this sort of thing elsewhere... I'll probably sound a bit odd here.

Our most common satisfying 'sharp' sounds that end with plosives do seem to reference scissors and separation (clip, snip, snit), or seem too 'airy' (swipe, swish, swoosh, shwip)? 'Slit' is itself almost onomatopoeic, and is a great word - we could do with a few more. 'slash' has the semi-liquid 'l', but is too violent and gory. It gushes. 'sh' is usually very airy, very wet, or to me suggests spray like 'sss' might. 'phhhhhssst' makes me picture brief blood spray that ends politely after a tap is turned off.

'shvitt' is satisfying to me and I could maybe picture someone saying that in conversation, but it might need to be exaggerated to read better as English onomatopoeia ('sshviit' ?). Otherwise, I might first read it as an expression that's gone over my head. But the original is better - neat and nasty. phew.

[Meenzer]

Thank you so much for this thread! I'm a German-English translator by profession (tedious business and finance texts rather than fun fiction, sadly) and half of my family is Swedish - though rather shamefully, my own Swedish skills are nowhere near enough strong enough for me to work with the language professionally. Despite that, I spent the first part of LTROI tripping over awkward constructions and trying to work backwards to what I figured the original Swedish must have been and what it was that caused the translator to stumble. However, it was a factual blooper - penguins in Soviet Georgia?! - that tipped me over the edge and made me wonder if anyone else had documented the various issues I was encountering and reacted with the same bemusement. Hence Googling it and landing here!

Since then, I've been reading the book then referring back to this thread after each chapter to fill in any gaps caused by the translation issues - so again, thank you! I saw the Alfredson film years ago so I wasn't too concerned about potential spoilers, but this was my first time with the book (I know, I know ) so it was great to have an intelligent companion like this. Plus nerding out on translation stuff is generally awesome, obviously. Inconsistencies drive me mad too - I endeavour to avoid them when translating dry financial reports that no one will ever actually read, so it's always frustrating to encounter them in mainstream literature that should (presumably) have gone through some kind of copyediting process...

You'll all be far more familiar with this than I am, so I have to ask: I picked up the book from a charity shop and it's from the original UK paperback run. Has a corrected/improved translation of the book been brought out in the meantime, or is this cheerfully flawed version still the one that's out there?

[Siggdalos]

Apologies for the late reply, but that's very flattering to hear (or read, rather) from all of you, especially you, Meenzer.

You'll all be far more familiar with this than I am, so I have to ask: I picked up the book from a charity shop and it's from the original UK paperback run. Has a corrected/improved translation of the book been brought out in the meantime, or is this cheerfully flawed version still the one that's out there?

I personally don't know exactly how many different versions of the book there are. However, I know that in a thread from 2011, some other users discussed a part of the book where the dish pytt-i-panna was translated into "bubble and squeak" in English. This isn't found in the version that I own (which as far as I can find is a 2009 ebook version of the paperback edition published in 2008 by Quercus); that one instead leaves pytt-i-panna untranslated. So I guess there's at least two versions of the English translation floating about, but I've no idea about what other differences there are between those versions.

[Meenzer]

Apologies for the late reply, but that's very flattering to hear (or read, rather) from all of you, especially you, Meenzer.

You'll all be far more familiar with this than I am, so I have to ask: I picked up the book from a charity shop and it's from the original UK paperback run. Has a corrected/improved translation of the book been brought out in the meantime, or is this cheerfully flawed version still the one that's out there?

I personally don't know exactly how many different versions of the book there are. However, I know that in a thread from 2011, some other users discussed a part of the book where the dish pytt-i-panna was translated into "bubble and squeak" in English. This isn't found in the version that I own (which as far as I can find is a 2009 ebook version of the paperback edition published in 2008 by Quercus); that one instead leaves pytt-i-panna untranslated. So I guess there's at least two versions of the English translation floating about, but I've no idea about what other differences there are between those versions.

My turn for a late reply apology - thank you for this info, I may well see if I can track down a copy of the other translation if only to engage in a spot of language geekery