A Couple of Translation Questions.

[Pierre Menard]

So I've been putting off reading certain books, because I'm totally unsure of what translation to go with. Usually I'm pretty good at narrowing down which translations would be most suited to my tastes, but there's a few editions I'm struggling to choose between, so maybe the learned folk around here could be of some help.

First up is Madame Bovary. I've heard decent (but different) things about the Steegmuller, Lydia Davis and Geoffrey Wall translations. I'm really struggling to decide which one to go with. If it helps, I'm not a stickler for complete accuracy; I don't mind a looser translation if it captures the original (or what I've heard praised about the original).

Next up is pretty much anything by Kafka. I've heard the Muir's can be a little unreliable, and I wasn't all that taken by the Penguin Classics 'Metamorphosis', though that may be a personal issue, not a translation or Kafka issue. I also know Oxford World's Classic have a 5-pack with different translation for each.

Thirdly, I'm tossing up which One Thousand one Nights edition to buy. All the main translations, Burton, Haddawy and the Penguin Classics Irwin translations all have their pros and cons. Any recommendations for a first time reader? Get multiple?

And last is the plays of Euripides and Aristophanes. I've been well-served in regards to Sophocles and Aeschylus, yet for some reason I just cannot decide on a translation for the two of these great playwrights.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Calidore]

Re. The Thousand and One Nights: I own the Mardrus-Mathers version (bought used and cheap long ago), which has been criticized for accuracy but praised for the quality of the writing, especially the poetry. This one was intended to be accessible and entertaining for the casual reader, and it is that.

Based on the Wikipedia section on modern translations of the work ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights#Modern_translations ), it looks like the Penguin Classics version (actually translated by Malcolm and Ursula Lyons and annotated by Irwin) and/or the Haddawy version might be your best bet as an introduction. I could see owning both being worthwhile, as they come from different sources, so that's probably the route I would go now if I was shopping for a new edition.

Good webpage for info and comparisons of older versions: http://www.wollamshram.ca/1001/index.htm

[Charles Darnay]

For Arabian Nights Entertainment I have come across a few version. The one I stuck with was Mack's edition from the Oxford World Classics series. It is quite complete and drawn largely from the original English print of the early 18th century.

For Madame Bovary: I recommend Davis' translation. For a novel like this, being a stickler for direct translation is probably a good thing. Too many previous translators mucked up Flaubert's style - which, in my opinion, is the strongest part of the novel..

For Kafka, I cannot claim any great knowledge. I have Freed's translation, and I quite like it - that's all I can offer.

As for Euripides: I have yet to find a translation I really like. Learn ancient Greek and read the original. Failing that, just pick one - there are not too many discrepancies between the major editions out there.