#donougher translation

[hyphen-8-it]

Cosette is better than me because if my weirdo recluse father suddenly showed up with a massive, festering burn scar acting completely unconcerned and telling me to call a vet for him instead of a human doctor, I would have simply started killing.

[incidentalblr]

rereading some of the javert passages in the brick and my donougher translates the “his convict” bit as “his hardened offender” THAT IS WORSEEEEE

[fructidors]

we’re so fucking back

[granhairdo]

im getting into brick collecting anyone got any editons i Must Have™

[lapis42]

Sorry, I got distracted and read Les Misérables(for the second time)

[bossuet-lesgle]

Hold, Monsieur the director of the hospital, I will tell you something

So I thought the phrasing of this was SO weird so I checked some of my other translations. FMA shortens it to "Monsieur Director", Wraxall omits it entirely, and Donougher just goes all out with "I tell you what, monsieur le directeur de l'hopital" which flows even worse imo

Anyway all this to say instead of asking the man's name, Myriel fully just went "Listen, Mr. Hospital Director" and that might have been a normal way to address people in 1800s France but I cannot imagine saying that to someone's face today in full seriousness

[leosmiserables]

different translations of how grantaire looks at enjolras before he says ”let me sleep here”:

”tendres et troubles” (original french)

”indescribable gentleness” (hapgood)

”tender, troubled eyes” (fahnestock and macafee)

”fond and blurry” (donougher)

”ömma och töckniga (tender and cloudy)” (rohman)

”loving, troubled eyes” (rose)

[lmchaptertitlebracket]

I.ii.10 L'homme Réveillé

The Man Awakes: Wilbour

The Man Awake: Wraxall, Walton

The Man Aroused: Hapgood

The Man Wakes Up: Denny, FMA, Rose

The Man Awakened: Donougher

[most-unhinged-les-mis-moment]

Round One: A1: Poll Four

Wacky Coffin Heist can be found in the Brick, at: Several chapters of 2.8 (Starts at 2.8.4)

Myriel getting his position by saying something smart to Napoleon can be found in the brick, at: 1.1.1

PROPAGANDA:

Wacky Coffin Heist: (Fun fact! This was BY FAR the most submitted moment!! :D)

Not only does Jean Valjean pull this wacky coffin heist escape, he’s EXCITED to do it. Like his buddy Fauchelevent keeps going “I don’t know sounds dangerous” while Jean Valjean keeps smiling and going “it will be fine! :D it will be wonderful! :D”. It’s one of the few times in the book we see the unbearably sad beast get genuinely happy about something that isn’t Cosette . It’s an unhinged heist but even more unhinged because it brings him this unexpected joy

He comes up with the plan himself, then almost dies because of it. King shit.

( @pontmercysamis (no propoganda, just wanted to be credited for being one of the people who submitted this one :) )

(Submitted by @blatherby ) Most relevant quotes, IMO 2.8.4: You can pick whichever translation you like best for the quotes. Here’s my favorite specific line: Jean Valjean eut un de ces rares sourires qui lui venaient comme une lueur dans un ciel d’hiver. (Hugo) Jean Valjean gave way to one of those rare smiles which lighted up his face like a flash from heaven in the winter. (Hapgood) This Unbearably Sad Beast who basically never smiles (especially not without it being described a sad smile) is now having his smile compared to: - the aurora in a winter sky (Wilbour) - a sunbeam in a wintry sky (Wraxall) - a flash from heaven in the winter (Hapgood) - sunshine breaking through a winter’s sky (Denny) - a sunrise in winter (FMA) - a ray of sunshine in a winter sky (Rose) - a gleam of sunlight in a winter sky (Donougher) … because he’s so ecstatic *over getting buried alive!* Something is Wrong with him (affectionate). Okay, to be fair, he doesn’t *actually* want to be buried alive (… at this point in the book), based on his reaction to the plan going awry later. But he’s having a blast with every aspect of this except for the actual suffocating to death part. His joy over this is so unhinged that—well, here’s Fauchelevent at the end of that chapter: “Agreed, father Fauchelevent. It will all be all right.” “Provided nothing goes wrong,” thought Fauchelevent. “What if it all goes horribly wrong?!” (Rose translation) And here’s Fauchelevent the next day, in the next chapter: Fauchelevent limped along behind the hearse, happy as can be. His two mysteries, his two twin plots, one in league with the nuns, the other with Monsieur Madeleine, one for the convent, the other against, had succeeded together, one after the other. Jean Valjean’s calmness was one of those powerful tranquilizers that are contagious. Fauchelevent was no longer worried about whether they would bring it off. […] Fauchelevent felt completely secure. As the convoy entered the avenue leading to the cemetery, Fauchelevent looked at the hearse, happy, and rubbed his big hands together, muttering to himself: “Not a bad joke!” (Rose) JVJ is so happy and calm over pretending to be dead that he’s literally acting as an anxiety medication. (I propose that we send JVJ on coffin heists and bottle his powerful calmness. Everyone wins!)

the entire coffin heist is so wacky but that bit specifically made me cackle. I dunno I like the juxtaposition

Myriel getting his position by saying something smart to Napoleon:

I don't remember which translation it was that had him say something like "You sir, are looking at a good man, but I am looking at a great man", but Myriel is such a fun character, I love him

[fremedon]

In that case I'd definitely recommend Donougher. Her notes are considerably more thorough than Rose, and while her prose tops out at Fine--she's not the stylist that Wilbour or, unfortunately, Denny is--it's much more timeless, while Rose is very specifically British and contemporary in that way that already feels outdated.

Donougher is also willing to footnote some untranslatable aspects of the text--puns, and also shifts between tu and vous, which are super important.

I’m gonna get my dad to read Les Mis, but I don’t know which translation to give him. Wilbour and Hapgood are already off the table. Do y’all have any recommendations?

[cliozaur]

The one, in which Javert is roaring, and translators grapple with capturing the intensity. Hapgood proposes: “Bequiabouit” (not too roary). FMA opts for: “Hur-up!” (a bit better). Donougher produces a monstrosity: “Lessghehmwuhahn!”(supposed to be “Let’s get a move on”). In original, it’s simply “Allonouaite!” (Allons vite!) It seems brevity is the key.

Javert deviates from his usual orderly behaviour, disregarding protocols and legalities. This deviation highlights the extraordinary nature of this case for him.

Valjean, trying to bribe Javert (“I will pay whatever is necessary”), likely exacerbates the situation.

The thundering Javert, without any authoritative figure present, and driven by his animal instinct, presents a peculiar sight—roaring, shouting, acting violently, and stamping his foot. This spectacle, coupled with the distressing news that Cosette is nowhere near, delivers a fatal blow to Fantine. In her last moments, she is likened to a drowning person (another heartbreaking reference to drowning).

[fructidors]

now i'm genuinely considering reading a chapter of les mis a day in 2023 MY BRAIN DOES NOT WANT THIS BUT MY HEART NEEDS IT

[secretmellowblog]

Hi! From your posts and comments, you know a lot abput the different translations of Les Mis. The one that I have is Wilbour, which I like the most of the ones I’ve encountered, in terms of wording and writing style; are there any issues with it I should be aware of? As people following Les Mis Letters comment on the original French, I’ve noticed a couple things missing, or bits where the translation seems less clear than in some others versions. What are your thoughts on this translation?

Wilbour is a great translation! It's the first English translation of Les Mis, but has many errors because it was published very quickly after the publication of the original novel. The most common criticism I've heard of Wilbour is that it's extremely stodgy and old-fashioned, even compared to Hugo's language; Wilbour often adapts the sentence structure of French very literally in ways that can read awkwardly or not completely correctly in English. But! I've heard he also captures the poetry and feeling of the language better than Hapgood, though, when it comes to 19th century translations. I believe Wilbour was the first translation I read, and if Hapgood weren't the most easily accessible on the Gutenberg it might be my translation of choice! He and Hapgood also cut sentences here and there but don't rise to the level of massive deliberate censorship, the way other 19th century translators like Wraxall do. The only serious error i remember Wilbour making is in Combeferre's speech at the barricade, where he discusses how women are left behind by society. Combeferre says "Women, we are not much given to thinking about them." But Wilbour mistranslates this as "women are not much given to thought" which is the EXACT opposite sentiment to the one Combeferre expresses XD. If you want a "more accurate" version of Wilbour that fixes the errors he made while translating at an unhealthy pace in a time before the internet existed-- the Fahnestock McAfee translation is meant as an updated version of Wilbour that corrects his errors! However, they occasionally "correct" things he didn't get wrong. For example, there's a moment where Javert boasts "I have claws like a woman" but FMA mistranslates it as "you have claws like a woman." Like, FMA is wrong and Wilbour is right there- Javert is just a strange little guy. For a translation comparison: here's a comparison of how various Les Mis translators handle Les Amis's introductory chapter, "A Group Which Barely Missed Becoming Historic!" You can contrast Wilbour with other translators here to see the general way he approaches things in comparison to other translators ^_^.