New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-05

INDICTMENT on its numerous faults of omission and of
commission. They who get their only impression OF
NJ Remains work from tins version of it will. we
must frankly say, get very inadequate impression
of its beauty, and by no means an adequate one OF
It's truth. The maker of it may be perfect master
of both languages that in which it is written and
that in which it is reproduced; he may also be
thoroughly acquainted with the subject of which the
author treats But if he is he either has not been
allowed OF he has not allowed himself to display his
accomplishments. Candor compels us to say that no
portion of the book is done well as it should be-
and that considerable portions of it are done very
badly indeed We began by marking the inaccu-
racies of translation as they occurred, but soon
wearied of the task, for they occurred on nearly
every page We spare the bOok-makers the mortif-
cation of seeing their most glazing Offenses in print
and give few examples Of average infelicity Thus
when NJ Renan writes that sick people do not yield
to depression" in the climate of Athens, Mr., Lock
wood informs us that the infrm is not discouraged
theren This spirit of close fraternity" is " this
spirit of Secret Committee ready to cry out at the
suspicious of persecution" is given to asking Tor
persecution" quite another thing. The designation
of the socalled Epste to the Ephesans is the far
thest possible from being certain" in NJ. Remains
opinion. In that of his American translator II Is
no less than certain" IAN argument for doctrine"
an Irish monk in the hands of his abbey! Lydia,
Phoebe. and Chloe are lively, gay, mild, eminent
(distingu6es) women" Paul's mind is brittle"
lcassant.) The two parties in controversy were
"sprightly" (bifs Paul in Athens did not startle
III ne tressailt pas These are the blunders that
abound in every chapter. But what are we to think
of thisP There are many experiences and time
needed in order to make one see that no dogma Is
worth the while to resist to ones face and to wrong
charity" Here is what M. Renan says: Much
time and experience is required before men perceive
that no dogma is worth the price of affront offered
and wounds inflicted on charity" When the trans
lator is ignorant of the meaning of word he writes
it down as it stands in tho original. Thus we have
"herodules," panegyres,' kleptes," "polarchs'D
cosmetics" "pacare,' torentic," "icOnostasis.'
The names of places are copied literally, without
the smallest regard to the idiom of the English
language. That the translator is to be held
solely accountable for the atrocOus plumbers
in his version, or that he is to be held wholly mex
cusable for them we would not be understood TO af-
firm. No doubt the publisher must bear portion of
the blame. man who translates against time who
must do certain number of pages in an hour or for
felt his reward, and who has very few hours given
him for great many pages, cannot open his dictIon
airy often or consult maps or be very nice III inter
preting shades of language. 1t is more than a pity
it is shame that works of such moment as these OF
NJ Remains should be translated by jobbers, who
have placed in their hands the first imported copy
never advanced Sheets and then are told that their
whole duty consists in outstrpping all competitors
for the market 1t were better to have no transla-
tons of fine books than to have translatons that do
equal and grave injustice to the author and to his
readers There are surely literary men who will
gladly give part of their leisure hours to such work,
if the publisher will put it into their hands in season
for its faithful execution.