And actually that doesn't look to be the case - Edit 1
Before modification by Tom at 12/12/2011 06:02:04 PM
The Molinaro translation is the most common one, but that particular publisher uses a different translator for each book even though the formatting seems to be similar.
It's not the best translation in the world. I compared the first five pages of the translation with the original and I was not overwhelmed by the translation. Translating Kloster as "cloister" is certainly tempting, but it is imprecise since the German word means any sort of monastery, and "cloister" usually refers to a particular portion of a monastery in English (the pillared courtyard in the center or near the center). Also, Welsche in German means anyone from the south or the Mediterranean area, so translating it as "Savoyard" is artistic license. Schriften can mean "scrolls", but it is a broader term meaning simply "writings", and I would have translated it that way. Weisheit der Evangelien was translated as "wisdom of the testaments" rather than "wisdom of the Gospels", which is far better. The part about exorcisms says that the monastery was sometimes famous on account of its Teufelbanner und Dämonenkenner, which is more like saying its "exorcists and demonologists".
In other words, I don't really like a lot of the conscious choices that appear to have been made by the translator. However, I think that despite the imprecise translation, the general sense is close enough that it should provide a similar enough reading experience.
It's not the best translation in the world. I compared the first five pages of the translation with the original and I was not overwhelmed by the translation. Translating Kloster as "cloister" is certainly tempting, but it is imprecise since the German word means any sort of monastery, and "cloister" usually refers to a particular portion of a monastery in English (the pillared courtyard in the center or near the center). Also, Welsche in German means anyone from the south or the Mediterranean area, so translating it as "Savoyard" is artistic license. Schriften can mean "scrolls", but it is a broader term meaning simply "writings", and I would have translated it that way. Weisheit der Evangelien was translated as "wisdom of the testaments" rather than "wisdom of the Gospels", which is far better. The part about exorcisms says that the monastery was sometimes famous on account of its Teufelbanner und Dämonenkenner, which is more like saying its "exorcists and demonologists".
In other words, I don't really like a lot of the conscious choices that appear to have been made by the translator. However, I think that despite the imprecise translation, the general sense is close enough that it should provide a similar enough reading experience.