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fromorphantohighflye t1_iyd7zqs wrote

Reply to comment by jefrye in Found an old edition of ‘The Count Of Monte Cristo’ in a second hand book store. by Parzzzzival

I think I speak for many here when I say that picking the 'best' translation of an old/classic book out of the numerous translations that exist can be bloody irritating at times. There always seems to be 2/3 translations that different people recommend for different reasons.

I was in a bookshop last month and they stocked two different translations of the same book. One had over 100 pages more than the other.

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Of-Lily t1_iyeff92 wrote

I probably speak for many fewer, but I find it worthwhile to do a google-search-worth of due diligence. However the question that I’m trying to answer is not necessarily which translation is ‘best’ but rather whether I will have a preference. There isn’t always a ‘definitive’ translation (where opinion is fairly unanimous, as in this case). At which point an overview of competing opinions allows me to apply my own personal subjective criteria. For example, I tend to prefer the clarity of modern translations. Or, I may lean toward a fresh perspective like this Or, I may just want to confirm that the convenient option isn’t the edition that has universally panned. I admit…I am ‘worst’ adverse. 😉

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