[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/lit/ - Literature

View post   
File: 2.95 MB, 1528x2339, 9780241332771.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
19596811 No.19596811 [Reply] [Original]

Why do English translations of Chinese classics always come in abridged form?

>> No.19597011

>>19596811
We write at length.
>t. Chinese

>> No.19597016

>>19596811
>>19597011
That said, Yu has an unabridged translation of Journey to the West, which is great.

>> No.19597381

>>>>19596811
There's an unabridged version as well, I've read it (moss Roberts) and thought it was pretty good. Same applies to the other three. I think the abridged versions are just popular because its less effort for the translator and most people just won't read something that's 2-3000 pages long anyway.

>> No.19597387

>>19596811
buk tu long

>> No.19597393

>>19597387
This, unironically

>> No.19597394

>>19596811
A number of period works suffer from redundancy and set forms that blow up the page count.

>> No.19597398

>>19596811
Penguin is notorious for abridged versions of books. I'm sure there is a financial/marketing aspect to that decision. They're a good publishing house, but I'm not a fan of that at all.

>> No.19597443

>>19596811
For the same reason the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are usually abridged
They're insanely long and very repetitive

>> No.19598941

>>19597398
Isn't that because Penguin is the big publishing company, so they'd be more notorious or well-known for it? Most of the books that are abridged are very long.

>> No.19598968

>>19596811
Eh, they're pretty long and boring, I imagine.

>> No.19599462

>>19596811
To make plebs like you learn the language and not read translation

>> No.19599473
File: 49 KB, 600x528, Forty_keks.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
19599473

>>19597387

>> No.19599817
File: 446 KB, 488x486, 1526616258475.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
19599817

>>19597387

>> No.19599831

>>19598941
>Isn't that because Penguin is the big publishing company, so they'd be more notorious or well-known for it? Most of the books that are abridged are very long.
Penguin and related companies comprise almost 300 different publishing imprints.
Penguin is owned by Bertelsmann, which owns or owned BGM, which comprised a significant number of record labels as well.