Miscellaneous

Lizamezzo on vivandières
For Club Ninety-Three: I got your vivandières right here. 

Shirley-keeldar on the Russian translation
Just for, um, fun, I guess, found a Russian translation of Quatrevingt-treize.

Wow, I’m bad at reading Russian. Sooooo bad.

ETA: The interesting thing is that I got in an immediate, knee-jerk reaction snit about the word “tovarisch” being used, because, come on, but like, actually how the fuck even are you going to translate “camarade,” of course they’re literally going to use the equivalent word. Reading Russian translations of things about the French Revolution is so weird because you (meaning me, actually full of unexpected bits of Russian cultural baggage) can’t help think about it in relation to the Russian one.

Maybe I’ll reread Doctor Zhivago, maybe that’s what I’ll do. In Russian this time. (Noooooo.)

Also to re-read: We the Living.

Yep, it’s definitely cultural baggage o’clock around here.

ETA the second: Ooooh this is kind interesting?

Where Houzarde says: “Voyez-vous, j’ai l’air comme ça, mais je suis une bonne femme et un brave homme.” (“You see, I may seem this way, but I am a good woman and a brave man.”)

In Russian it comes out: “Вы не смотрите, что у меня такой вид, я женщина не злая, и солдат из меня неплохой бы вышел.” (“Ignore that I have such a look, I am not an evil woman, and I would make not a bad soldier.”)

I can’t quite reproduce the parallel structure in the latter part there, because Russian word order is very malleable.

But it’s interesting that that’s the direction the translator would take it in? And I don’t know what to make of it?

Shirley-keeldar with picture


Illustration of the gunner and the caronade, care of Gallica.



And another one! This one with a good deal more action and gore.