My Russian language skills are rusty, despite 3 years of study in college. I was lucky enough to study Russian literature with Yevtushenko, from whom I learned so much about the greats, as well as 20th century Russian poetry. That said, I still struggle to read it in the original.

So my question is to fluent speakers/readers: which Russian writers/poets do you think lose the most in translation? In English alone, I adore Pushkin, Chekhov, Gogol, Tolstoy, Akhmatova, Yevtushenko, etc., but when I try to read them in the original, I often see large gaps between the meanings of individual poems, lines, and ideas. Where do you think I'm missing the boat the most, and which works really need to be read pa-Rooski?

I'm a native Russian speaker, but since I only went to school in Russia up to second grade, I don't have an authoritative vantage point myself. I think there are more layers of complication to it that make it even more difficult to interpret correctly. The centuries that separate us from writers in the past add both a layer of archaism to the language that makes it hard even for native Russian speakers to work through. The understanding of the world the writers had, likewise, is often through multiple layers of social assumptions that don't carry over as easily into the present - whether it be imperial or soviet, and even less so do they carry over into the English world.

I think my point is, at the end of the day, that there comes a moment where one has to stop worrying about how authentic one's experience is versus what one loses in the translation, and has to start thinking of the translation as *adding* something valuable instead. Obviously, it adds the value of non-native-speakers being able to understand the thing without having to learn the language. But a good translator (one who has experience writing original works in both languages) will sometimes add new meaning and relevance to older works.

To keep this relevant to Russian literature, I will use an example from my own life - my dad (with whom I moved to America from Russia) is very big on Science Fiction, as are many of his friends. Many of them are huge fans of Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle", which they have all read the Russian translation of. After doing some poking around on the web and asking my dad and his friends, there seems to be a consensus that the translation into Russian has actually *improved* the work to the point where if you are a bilingual English-Russian speaker, it would be a better idea to read the Russian translation than the English original, at least for the purposes of enjoyment of a work of fiction.

I know this doesn't answer your question, and I hope more actual experts will contribute as this discussion group grows, but I hope that this might inspire you not to see translations as crutches for a linguistically challenged reader, but as works worthy of respect in their own right. Thank you for posting the first comment!

Thanks for the response. I actually love the act and idea of translation, and don't see it as a crutch. And as you mentioned, much can be added to the thoughtful translation. The Vonnegut example is fascinating. I've also heard that Poe reads much better in French, which is why French authors, in general, have a higher respect for him than Americans (I enjoy his works but do not always love them). I posed this question since many Russians deplore the idea of translation and claim I can understand nothing of Pushkin, Chekhov, etc, in English--and certainly this was Nabakov's claim, when he translated Evgeni Onyegin as literally as possible. I collect as many translations of Russian authors I admire as possible, especially Chekhov. When you compare a more modern translation of Chekhov with the famous Constance Garnett ones, you see a completely different author. She was much more Victorian in her tastes and translated him accordingly.

That said, there are so many words and ideas that simply don't make the passage from Russian to English well, particularly humor. I hear Zoshenko is amazing in Russian, though his English versions sound very flat and routine. The essential spice is missing, and maybe one day a translation will come around that captures it.

I would be interested to know, as in the Vonnegut example, of works that you--and others--feel translate well or particularly badly. I hear Leskov, too, doesn't translate too well, though I really admire his short stories.