Should I read things Translated into French?

[issemiyaki]

Just wanted to see if I was crazy or not.

Do you think reading something translated INTO French is easier than reading something originally written in French?

I raise this question because recently I noticed that when I read translations I seem to have NOOOO problems. Yet, as soon as I pick up Le Monde or Jeune Afrique or Les Echos, forget it; it’s like I’m learning French all over again.

What I notice with translations INTO French is that the sentence structure is very neat and orderly. However, with things that were originally written in French, the writers seem to use more colorful expressions, and the vocabulary seems more varied, honestly.

So, I’m wondering, am I short-changing myself by reading translations? I read them because I find them easier to understand. French has a lot of sentences that seem to not end, and they cut off in the middle, yet with a translation, everything seems to make sense.

[tarvos]

Yes, you should, but at some point you should also read originals. I mean, a translation is just that - a translation. You have to get used to the way the French write. If you don't get the texts you have chosen, try choosing something slightly simpler.

[Elenia]

I second what tarvos has said. I'll also say that it really doesn't have to be either or. Work through translations and native materials. Try reading a bit of a translation first then going for some native content to help you ease yourself into it. Or maybe kick back with a translation to relax after more formal or demanding study. You are not short-changing yourself by reading translations, but you are short changing yourself if you are keeping yourself back from native materials.

[emk]

Do you think reading something translated INTO French is easier than reading something originally written in French?

I raise this question because recently I noticed that when I read translations I seem to have NOOOO problems. Yet, as soon as I pick up Le Monde or Jeune Afrique or Les Echos, forget it; it’s like I’m learning French all over again.

I read plenty of translations during the first Super Challenge. I was particularly fond of books that I had already read several times in English because it gave me a comprehension boost, and allowed to cement vocabulary more easily. I also read plenty of works originally written in French.

Honestly, Le Monde loves overly complex syntax, and they're also fond of sentence fragments. There will come a day when it all makes sense, but don't stress out too much if you sometimes find it confusing.

I'm a big believer in enjoyable, comprehensible input, in large quantities. That can be translations or bandes dessinées or kid's books or trashy action novels. Whatever floats you boat, so long as you read lots of words. It's not enough to be able to decipher French; you want to get enough exposure that it becomes automatic and effortless, and that requires more input that you might imagine. I don't think it much matters where you start.

[reineke]

Translations are lexically poorer and easier to process than originals. Translated pulp is a great source of core vocabulary. Language learners and native speakers alike could benefit from reading more challenging material.

[Speakeasy]

I find myself in disagreement with the statement “French (as a language) has a lot of sentences that seem to not end, and they cut off in the middle, yet with a translation, everything seems to make sense.”

I would agree that some French authors, particularly those involved in research, education, and scholarship, seemingly deliberately (and perhaps obligatorily) write in a noticeably pedantic style (alambiqué: exagérément compliqué, maniéré et contourné) due to a combination of tradition and peer pressure. That is, such writers are confronted with a challenge to “étaler leur savoir” without appearing overly pretentious -- Étaler son savoir auprès des sots, c'est inutile voire contre-productif. Le savant reconnaît le sot mais l'inverse n'est pas toujours vrai. L'étaler auprès de ses semblables, c'est les honorer parfois, passer pour prétentieux par moments. Le faire auprès des gens plus instruits, c'est prendre le risque de ne pas être à la hauteur de ses prétentions -- however, most French journalists, novelists, narrators et etcera write in style or register that is no more difficult to understand than that of their non-French homologues.

There is simply no reason to differentiate between “authentic” materials from “translated” materials … the French don’t! In excess of 40,000 books are translated into French every year. I believe that it would be safe to assume that this level of translating-and-publishing activity is done for the benefit of native Francophones and that meeting the needs of foreigners wishing to learn the language is a rather distant objective. Presumably, the translations are prepared by professionals who work from the generally-agreed-upon principle that a good translation is one that achieves an “equivalent effect” in the target language; that is, the language flows ... or should flow ... as naturally as it would have had the work been originally written in French. We should note that there are numerous “French authors” who are of non-French origin, many of whom have been honoured by l'Académie française. Are their works “authentic” materials or do they fall into a category that is similar to “translations” and therefore – presumably – inferior to works produced by "true" native authors?

I suggest that we avoid making a distinction without a difference and that we simply enjoy both “authentic” materials and “translated” materials. Anyone who has been reading "lexically inferior" translations needs to up their game a little.

EDITED: Typos ... comme toujours!

[reineke]

A New Approach to the Study of Translationese: Machine-Learning the Difference between Original and Translated Text

"It is common, when reading translations, to feel that they are written in their own peculiar style. Translation scholars even speak of the language of translation as a separate \dialect" within a language, which they call third code (Frawley, 1984) or translationese (Gellerstam, 1986). Recently, attempts have been made to establish whether translationese really exists, i.e. whether translations do tend to share a xed set of lexical, syntactic and/or textual features, and to identify such features (Puurtinen, 2003).

From the point of view of translation studies, our results are of interest because they bring clear evidence of the existence of translationese features even in high quality translations..."

Presumably, the translations are prepared by professionals who work from the generally-agreed-upon principle that a good translation is one that achieves an “equivalent effect” in the target language; that is, the language flows ... or should flow ... as naturally as it would have had the work been originally written in French. We should note that there are numerous “French authors” who are of non-French origin...

Equivalence in Translation: Between Myth and Reality

"The notion of equivalence is undoubtedly one of the most problematic and controversial areas in the field of translation theory. The term has caused, and it seems quite probable that it will continue to cause, heated debates within the field of translation studies."

http://translationjournal.net/journal/14equiv.htm

Regarding Francophone authors etc., that's a completely different issue. Francophone authors are original authors and they do not fall in the same category as "translations". Translators of Francophone literature may however encounter specific challenges translating such authors.

[smallwhite]

Do you think reading something translated INTO French is easier than reading something originally written in French?

Yes, I find them easier, and not only with French but with other languages as well.

I grew up reading only native-written Chinese (my L1). Recently, I read parts of a few novels translated into Chinese, and boy, were they horrible. I felt I was learning Chinese all over again just like you said you were French. Not that they're incorrect, but they feel really foreign. You can grab a few books translated into your mother tongue and see for yourself.

Would be better if the from- language was closer to the to- language.

And maybe translations would only feel easier if they were translated from your L1? Such that a translation from Arabic into French won't necessarily feel easier?

[reineke]

A French book can be a lot easier to read than the French translation of a highbrow literary work. However, a translation is generally easier to process than the original. In any case, yes, you should read all sorts of things, including books translated into French. I don't think you should only read translations.

[blaurebell]

Translations are meant to be understandable. This is their main goal! Stylistic questions are sadly often secondary and the flavour of many works is lost in translation. The translator also has to have understood what he is reading before being able to translate it, which can be a huge advantage. This is the reason why I prefer to read certain German philosophy in English translation first, although I'm a German native. I usually read the German original later on if anything remains unclear or some of the concepts are debated a lot. I find Husserl pretty unreadable in German and English, but in English I at least understand what he is on about. He was just such a bad writer! This same thing happens when works of literature are translated - translations are often easier to understand for complicated originals. There are exceptions of course. If you're reading the German translation of Perec's "Un homme qui dort" you will be confronted with the most poetic and difficult German. Personally one of my favourite books and the German translation is just excellent, not easy to read at all either. In general though translations are easier to understand because someone made an effort to make them understandable, as opposed to many writers who go for the opposite effect on purpose! If you want to move on to reading more complicated things, I'd suggest starting with genre fiction written by natives, like crime or historic novels. They are usually not written by overly academic people and aren't meant for a very literary audience, but complicated language slips into them occasionally. Reading the classics can also help, because they focus more on story telling and less on doing crazy things with language.