Культура и Литература

Рецензия на фильм “Мандарины”

Ева Майер

«Мандарины» — фильм режиссёра Зазы Урушадзе, снятый в 2013 году. В нём рассказывается история Иво, пожилого (elderly) мужчины, переживающего абхазскую (Abkhaz) войну 1992 года. Его семья уезжает в Эстонию, но Иво решает остаться и помочь соседу с его мандариновым бизнесом. Иво встречает раненого чеченского наёмника (Chechen mercenary) и грузинского солдата и решает позаботиться о них. Два врага остаются вместе в доме Иво, чтобы выжить.

Фильм исследует тему войны через цвет, звук и природу. Главный символ фильма — мандарины. Их ярко-оранжевый цвет выделяется на тёмном и мрачном (gloomy) фоне (background) земли Иво. Мандарины становятся символом надежды (hope) и мира (peace)— ярким фруктом, пережившим (survived) войну. Дом Иво также играет важную роль. Это небольшое поле боя: тихое, если не считать тяжёлых разговоров между чеченцем и грузином. Их конфликт остаётся в стенах дома Иво. Чеченец обещает (promises) убить (to kill) грузина, если он выйдет из дома.

Музыка добавляет фильму серьёзные эмоции. Этот же мотив звучит в переходах. Он звучит каждый раз, когда Иво выходит из дома, и после ссоры (quarrel) чеченца и грузина. Композитор Нияз Диасамидзе играет простую и грустную мелодию на пандури - грузинском народном инструменте. В одной из сцен Иво играет по радио традиционную грузинскую музыку. Чеченец раздражается (gets annoyed) и говорит, что ненавидит грузинскую музыку. Грузин сражается (fights) с ним, чтобы защитить (to protect) достоинство музыки своего народа. В фильме музыка символизирует историю и силу (strength) грузинской культуры в годы войны.

Sources:

“Tangerines Soundtracks,” IMDb,  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2991224/soundtrack/.

“Panduri,” Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection, https://omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments/item/1839.

Why Does the Translation Version Matter?

Кейт Беллами

At the beginning of this semester, when I learned that we would be reading Crime and Punishment as part of a class on "Dostoyevsky in Translation", I wondered if the translation we read really mattered. I already owned an older copy that I had inherited from my mother, so why should I buy a new one?

It turns out that translation–or more accurately, who translates the novel–really matters, especially when considering the works of Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky is known for his penchant for odd syntax and sentence structure, and what is often seen as “sloppy” writing. Translators in the past have edited Dostoyevsky’s grammar and phrasing in an attempt to make his works more approachable for the English reader, sacrificing the attitude and humor of his writing. Constance Garnett, the popular choice of translator before Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, chose to smooth out some of his oddities, adding her own voice to her translations. Pevear and Volokhonsky, on the other hand, chose to stick as close to the original prose of Dostoyevsky as possible, preserving the more awkward phrasing and compound modifiers, even at the risk of clunkiness and confusion.

To showcase the impact of different translations, I have included here the first sentence of Crime and Punishment in three different versions: the original Russian, a lesser known translation by Princess Alexandra Kropotkin (the one I inherited), and the popular modern translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

The original Russian text of Crime and Punishment reads as such:

“В начале июля, в чрезвычайно жаркое время, под вечер, один молодой человек вышел из своей каморки, которую нанимал от жильцов в С–м переулке, на улицу и медленно, как бы в нерешимости, отправился к К–ну мосту.” 

The Revised Translation by Alexandra Kropotkin, 1953:

“One sultry evening early in July a young man emerged from the small furnished room he occupied in a large five storied house in Sennoy Lane, and turned slowly, with an air of indecision, towards the Kalininsky bridge.”

The New Translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, 1992:

“At the beginning of July, during an extremely hot spell, towards evening, a young man left the closet he rented from tenants in S–y Lane, walked out to the street, and slowly, as if indecisively, headed for the K–n Bridge.”

There are a few things that I would like to note about the original Russian of Crime and Punishment. Firstly, the weather is referred to as “чрезвычайно жаркое время,” which almost directly translates to an “extremely hot time”. You will notice that in the much older version translated by Alexandra Kropotkin above, the weather is referred to as “sultry”. This not only has a different connotation but also changes the tone from the simplistic phrasing that Dostoyevsky actually uses. Kropotkin also appears to add extra words to her translation that are not in the original Russian at all. The building was not mentioned as “five storied”, nor was Raskolnikov’s room described as “furnished”. Kropotkin’s version also leaves out the detail that Raskolnikov’s room was rented from tenants and instead just states that he “occupied” it. Pevear and Volokhonsky’s translation stays much closer to the original text and tone. Not only does the word choice more accurately reflect the Russian (‘closet’ for ‘каморки’ instead of small room), but they chose to preserve the awkwardness of the run-on sentence with its many commas that break the flow.

It is important when we are reading translated works to consider the impact the translator has on the novel’s style and sound alongside the author. When we are unable to read in the original language, we rely on translators to preserve the quirks and uniqueness of that author’s writing. 

Works Cited

David Remnick. "The Translation Wars." (2005)Web.

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. 2nd ed. Vintage Books, 1992. 

---. Crime and Punishment. Tran. Alexandra Kropotkin. International Collectors Library, 1953. 

Joshua Barone. "Love them Or Hate them, this Couple Reign in Russian Literature." 8/26 2024, Web. <https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/26/books/larissa-volokhonsky-richard-pevear.html>.

Достоевский, Ф М. Преступление И Наказание. ДА!Медиа, 2014.