Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-01-12
CRITICISM OF SPANISH
IN YEARBOOK ASSAILED
Bunk" Says II. X. Milford, OF
Objections Raised to Phrase
ology in Translation
ERRORS OF CRITIC CITED
Chamber of Commerce Members Are
Reused by Attack on Notable Ad-
vertisement for City

The Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
Year Book for 1917 i'm spanish, which was
criticized a few days ago as being a bar
barous" translation of the American cdt-
tlon by DR.. Antonio San4 who says he is
an authority on the Spanish language is
defended bv members Of the chamber Of
Commerce as the best bool, uf its kind ever
prepared for Latin-Amrrican circulation ny
any commercial organization IN the luIteu
states.
Prof j. L. w Crawford, Of the Spanish
department Of the University OF fchlSEI-
vania after an inspection OF the book, Falu
II was a clear and readable work IN span
ish, and that. although some of the er'u-
cisms made by Doctor Sain2 might ne war
ranted from the standpoint of pure Spanish
usage, the mistakes are such as might ne
expected in any work Of translation
AWKWARD lpIOMS
..The text" he said SHOWS II is the
work of n translator who undoubtedly
knows his Spanish, but who in translatlhs
American idioms and commercial express
sions may have used words ana communal
tions that appear odd from spanish view
ooint Such things can be- seen in any
translation. from a foreign tongue INTO r''b-
lish
"rhe few blundcrs that / can find GER
tainly cannot make the book do more harn
than good In Latn-Nmnrica as the 'rli,'
declares it will OF course, am not l"'"l-
ar with South American usage, when Is
not al,vavs the usage Of the pure Castillian
tongue. The work should not be condemned
for a few minor faults.
DIR. L. : Rowe professor of poUucaL
science in the Wharton school ana one OF
the best-informed men on .Latin-Nmerleah
affairs, found no fault Win me doom ~
though he said he was not familiar enough
with the finer points Of spanish 10 express
an expert criticism.
= t3enno KirsChbaun. principal OF lhe
Kirschbaum School of Languages ana hu-
reau Translation, which undertouh lhe ""'N
of translation, said:
.aThe criticism of Doctor Sainz Is ma
IicIous and small 1 think il must be the
work of a 'sorehead' who failed to get the
Job of trauslating and wrote TINS letter
under an assumed name, lie cannot ne
found in the city Directory and none OF
my Spanish or South American at-
quaintances ever heard Of HIM
TRANSLATOR DEFENDED
.AIr. II. T.. Alvarez. who had direct
charge Of the translation, Is a native OF
South America, of a cultured family ; was
educated in old Spain, was IN the consular
service of Venezuela and Travelled IN all
the countries of Latin America, so he
knows the language of the countries as wen
as the English language, lie has beeh an
instructor in this school
w H. Schon secretary Of the CONNER
cial Museum, who is Consul for BOLIVIA
said the Spanish Year Book was
creditabIe work and had no more blunders
of language than any work might have ihal
transcrbes so many American technical
and commercial expressions into the
picturesque idiom of Latin America MIR
schom never heard of Doctor Sainz.
IL n Mulford. chairman Of the foreigT
trade committee of the Chamber of Com
merce. who was largely influential tu pro-
noting the year book i'm the Spanish Ian
guage, expressed indignation at the crlt'
-,.ieism advanced,
"Do YOU think the IL. X. AIuford Com
pany would put twenty pages Of the most
expensive advertisements of it's chemical
manufactures iu this book without seeing
that the Spanish was correct and readable
10 South Americans he asked.
"We have fifteen Spanish correspondent
In our own business, and we took care that
the proofs Of the entire book We're revised
as well as our own advertisements. This
hook Is the most carefully prepared book OF
its kind ever issued -Four thousand copies
will be distributed all over South and Cen
tral America, TO leading banks, CLUBS hotels
newspapers, large mercantile houses, anC
the heads of Government foreign depart
ments as well as to every South American
consul In the United States
A NOTABLE WORK
,vrhis book has never been equaled, Il
contrast, the year book OF the Merchants
Association OF New York for 1916 is simi
lar 10 the Catalog of college, gtvin
about two-thrds OF it's pages TO the name
Of members our book win cost from tift
10 seventy-hve cents volume for the DIS
tribution alone The Illustrations and cost
IS three-color half-tones in some of the ad
TEnnAUA ANTI TIT