About twenty years ago, I’ve read a hilarious rant by a translator of ‘Dune’, included with the translation itself. The dude complained that some lazy translators don’t account for the fact that English-speaking countries were deeply religious for millennia, and authors could rely on readers’ familiarity with the Bible — while translators in my language are generally less versed in it. He recounted that someone managed to translate the words ‘Mosaic law’ as ‘law of mosaic’, i.e. the art form, instead of ‘law of Moses’. I don’t remember the translator’s name (edit: found it in my notes: Pavel Vyaznikov), but his words are etched in my memory, and I wouldn’t mind reading more of his opinions. They’re also the reason why I myself at least tried reading the Bible.
About twenty years ago, I’ve read a hilarious rant by a translator of ‘Dune’, included with the translation itself. The dude complained that some lazy translators don’t account for the fact that English-speaking countries were deeply religious for millennia, and authors could rely on readers’ familiarity with the Bible — while translators in my language are generally less versed in it. He recounted that someone managed to translate the words ‘Mosaic law’ as ‘law of mosaic’, i.e. the art form, instead of ‘law of Moses’. I don’t remember the translator’s name (edit: found it in my notes: Pavel Vyaznikov), but his words are etched in my memory, and I wouldn’t mind reading more of his opinions. They’re also the reason why I myself at least tried reading the Bible.