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But some translations are actually quite good Larry Send a noteboard - 14/05/2010 11:38:19 PM
I was trying to think of possible reasons (besides the most obvious one that I didn't state in my original post, on purpose) why for modern-day epic fantasies, those huge tomes don't sell as well in translation.

Seriously, I'd just go for translations sucking. I know it's a subjective reason, but considering I found The Lord of the Rings excruciatingly boring when I first read it in French, and now adore it with fanboyish zeal, I have to say there's a reason for it.


Maybe the quality of the translation is more tied to the perceived quality of the original's genre type than anything else? And LotR can be quite boring in English as well, if read from a certain angle and not another ;)

I won't interfere further in a discussion between people who obviously know more on the subject than I do, but I should point out that the only Québecois series of fantasy that has been popular enough for me to hear about was Anne Robillard's Les Chevaliers d'Émeraude and I loathed that book. I can say with absolute confidence that I have deeper, more complex settings and characters in my Dungeons & Dragons campaigns than the first book of that series gave me (I never read further).


Ouch! :P

If that's the best we can come up with in the genre, I certainly understand why it isn't popular around here.


Of course, I suspect (and Dom kinda agrees, with several caveats) that if the scope of "spec fic" is broadened a bit (as I and certain others tend to do), that more gems will turn up in that category.

By the way, do you avoid all translations if at all possible? Because I know of this certain translation from the Spanish into English that may be coming out in November...
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

Je suis méchant.
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Interesting discussion on the series, for the few here who can understand it Larry - 13/05/2010 11:15:27 PM 1457 Views
Speaking for my own culture... DomA - 14/05/2010 01:04:54 AM 879 Views
Nice counterpoints Larry - 14/05/2010 01:54:07 AM 812 Views
Re: Nice counterpoints DomA - 14/05/2010 05:59:35 AM 860 Views
Interesting Larry - 14/05/2010 04:37:13 PM 810 Views
Re: Interesting DomA - 16/05/2010 04:59:57 AM 704 Views
Erikson is available in French... the first two books. Legolas - 14/05/2010 10:01:17 PM 845 Views
Re: Nice counterpoints Fanatic-Templar - 14/05/2010 10:53:33 PM 671 Views
But some translations are actually quite good Larry - 14/05/2010 11:38:19 PM 642 Views
Re: But some translations are actually quite good DomA - 15/05/2010 02:15:11 AM 782 Views
Have they finally released Monaldi & Sorti in the original Italian now? Legolas - 15/05/2010 09:51:36 AM 814 Views
Re: Have they finally released Monaldi & Sorti in the original Italian now? DomA - 15/05/2010 05:27:58 PM 766 Views
Re: But some translations are actually quite good Fanatic-Templar - 15/05/2010 03:58:07 AM 730 Views
Re: But some translations are actually quite good DomA - 15/05/2010 06:20:07 PM 756 Views
Re: Speaking for my own culture... Voscaia Sedai - 15/05/2010 09:52:42 AM 547 Views
Russia loves that sort of crap. Tom - 14/05/2010 03:59:52 PM 612 Views
After reading Alexey Pehov's first translated work, I can believe that *NM* Larry - 14/05/2010 04:12:07 PM 287 Views
You're just linking that because of the compliments they're making about you, admit it. Legolas - 14/05/2010 09:00:35 PM 828 Views
I did say I was made aware of this because of a link to my comments Larry - 14/05/2010 09:09:34 PM 691 Views
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