More carping about translations
In a class whose syllabus was partially determined by the students we just read some Lichtenberg; roughly the second half of Hollingdale's selection of the Waste Books. Huzzah! The professor claimed that in Germany Lichtenberg is considered a Geheimtipp and is all hot these days. I am moved once again to remark what a shame it is that there isn't a complete translation, and to be upset at some of the translations Hollingdale gives. A single example will suffice. Here is (in his numeration) H32:
Our false philosophy is incorporated in our entire language; we can, so to speak, not reason without reasoning falsely. We fail to consider that speaking, regardless of what, is a philosophy … Our whole philosophy is rectification of colloquial linguistic usage, thus rectification of a philosophy, and indeed of the most universal and general…
Here is the complete German (H146):
Ich und mich. Ich fühle mich—sind zwei Gegenstände. Unsere falsche Philosophie ist der ganzen Sprache einverleibt; wir können so zu sagen nicht raisonnieren, ohne falsch zu raisonnieren. Man bedenkt nicht, daß Sprechen, ohne Rücksicht von was, eine Philosophie ist. Jeder, der Deutsch spricht, ist ein Volksphilosoph, under unsere Universitätsphilosophie besteht in Einschränkungen von jener. Philosophie ist Berichtigung des Sprachgebrauchs, also, die Berichtigung einer Philosophie, und zwar der allgemeinsten. Allein die gemeine Philosophie hat den Vorteil, daß sie im Besitz der Deklinationen und Konjugationen ist. Es wird also immer von uns wahre Philosophie mit der Sprache der falschen gelehrt. Wörter erklären hilft nichts; denn mit Wörtererklärungen ändere ich ja die Pronomina und ihre Deklination noch nicht.
Note that the translator has been careful to include ellipses wherever text in German has been omitted, except for the beginning of the text, where two sentence are left out with no indication given. I also don't see why "colloquial" is in the English, except to make up for the exclusion of the preceding sentence, which, in the German, makes clear that it's colloquial usage under discussion (clearer, anyway, since it's pretty apparent from what's given). But what really bugs me is that by not giving the "I and me", and the bit about pronouns and declination at the end, the translator changes if not the overall purport at least the specific interest of the aphorism rather radically.
Comments
on 2007-03-04 8:50:55.0, Ray Davis commented:
The Herdans' 1966 version of his Hogarth essays has gotten bad marks too, but it's what I can get so it's what I got. I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a complete Lichtenberg translation today.
and, further, on 2007-03-04 23:03:45.0, ben wolfson commented:
If I really thought someone would pay me for a complete translation of the Waste Books, I'd be sore tempted.