The World in Words 21: Translating the untranslatable, and Mel Brooks and the Odessa connection
Forget tough love, how about tough translation? We ask a translator of recently-deceased novelist David Foster Wallace how he rendered Infinite Jest into German. Then a segment on translating poetry, and the message seems to be: go ahead and mess with the meaning, but don’t rupture the rhythm. Then a take on war zone translators from Dexter Filkins of the New York Times. Finally, a trip to Odessa, alleged spiritual home of Jewish Humor.
Will you support The World with a monthly donation?
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!