The record-union., 1897-07-12
French English at the Salon.

The Committee of the Salon of the
Champ de Mars always recognize the
fact that there is a large slice of pa
tronage to come from English and
American visitors to Paris; and lin
guistic genius is employed by the COM
pliers of the catalogue to turn the
titles of some of the important pictures
into what purports to be the tongue
of Albion. With what success the
greatly daring translator grapples with
the dificile English language on the
one hand, and the denseiy ignorant
French compositor and proof-reader on
the other, may be judged from what
follows:
One can forgive trivial slips like
"Shwimping" (Peche aux crevettes)
and "Warltz" (Valse): but what is
there to do to a man who turns Les
seours nOires' into the enigmaticai
Lay sister black?" "L'IntruS" GER
tainly does not mean "The Intruded''-
nor is the latter English; and there
might be found a better rendering of
Assemble re cannards" than "A
ducks parliament
Preparations for the masted BALI
does not indicate, as one might imag-
ine a dance on board ship, but is the
English" title of NJ. Braun's 'Avant
le bal masque." To turn ''L'or d. au-
TONNE" into 1.-The golden of autumn
is neither funny nor clever: and it is
nothing less than brutal to dub NJ.
Perret's charming idyll "Saysons
amoureux," Peasant love stuck"
M. Gros' Bretons in La Soupe"
would be flattered to hear themselves
called Amateurs of Soup" no doubt;
but there is no foundation for the in
sinuation under M. VidaPs charming
picture young girl in blue strays," as
the French title is simply "Jeune file
au corset bleu." Fatigue" as the name
of NJ. Hamel's study of a peasant at
eventide indicates, of course, no more
than the natural result of a day OF
honest toll, but the malicious transla-
tor in clubbing it Fired would leave
the impression, especially on the minds
of American visitors, that over-in-
diligence has resulted in the chuck 4"
The word thought" affords our lin
guistic genius lots of fun. He renders
Femme Revant" as Lost in
Thought; but later on repents him,
ing NJ Breton's "L'attention delicate
into "Foughtful attentions"
M. Burgess in "Vers nil'connu" has
painted a charming poetical picture;
but what the translator intends to
convey by "Saeting the secret future"
is beyond me to think In several 9TH
er instances he has, no doubt finding
the English language not up to his
requirements, invented words of his
own, as in his rendering of Les deux
forces M. Koofmans boating picture,
as Flowing sail and strong picture"
and DISBURSEMENT" as "Pastine."
Devotees of Ma Tante" would hard
ly recognize "Au Mont de Piete" under
the gh.sounding title cat Lombard
House." no matter what the origin of
the money-lending trade "At Coffee
House" might pass for eau Cafe" but
Fishing boats putting out to sea- is
hardly correct as translation or
"Sortie de bateaux pecheurs."
But the tricky humor of the trans
lator reaches it's comble in the delici-
fornia'-a coach for the Deadwood
brand laundering at full speed down
a hillside, and very we'll painted by M.
Borghum-which he gravely calls THE
speed at California
Seriously, is it worth while for the
Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts to
make their exhibition ridiculous in this
way? Efficient translators are cheap
enough in Paris, goodness knows
London Figaro