Post #916483
2026-04-03 04:45 UTC
Random thought that occurred to me earlier today - I’d love it if books sold in translation included a way to read the original text as well. In physical print obviously this is a layout challenge - and doubles the likely size of the work.
But digitally imagine if every book sold had an option to see the original text. Perhaps with a variety of formatting options (including the correct pagination for works where that matters
I think manga have at times had this. Or something like it.
Replies (1)
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@newstik@social.heise.de 2026-04-03 05:21
@Rycaut It has been done. But you'd see how widely off the translation is. So it's not in the interest of the publisher. 🙂 Last year, I tried this with one of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry books, reading original and translation side by side. Flight to Arras. (Pilote de guerre). I was shocked. I couldn't get beyond a couple of pages. I looked for a better or more true-to-the-original translation, but the Foundation Saint-Exupéry has never approved a second translation. To wit: 1/2