MSGID: 2:221/6.0 603cfb80   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 603cf2e8   
   PID: SmapiNNTPd/Linux/IPv6 1.3 20210227   
   CHRS: CP866 2   
   TZUTC: 0200   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2021-02-17   
   Alexander Koryagin:   
      
   DM> Do  you  you know there are bilingual books, when on the   
   DM> left page is the English original and on the right  page   
   DM> is Russian translation. The latter is always longer.   
      
   Well-observed!  I  have  typeset such parallel texts myself.   
   But check also those where the Russian is the  original.  Is   
   the  Russian part there longer too? I have taken a wild shot   
   at the Moon and counterposed the Russian  and  English  ver-   
   sions of the opening paragraph of Tolstoy's resurrection:--   
      
   Š ª  ­¨  áâ à «¨áì  «î¤¨, á®-  All  the  efforts  of several   
   ¡à ¢è¨áì ¢ ®¤­® ­¥¡®«ì讥 ¬¥-  hundred   thousand    people,   
   áâ®   ­¥áª®«ìª®   á®â  âëáïç,  crowded  in a small space, to   
   ¨§ãத®¢ âì âã §¥¬«î, ­   ª®-  disfigure the land  on  which   
   â®à®©  ®­¨ ¦ «¨áì, ª ª ­¨ § -  they  lived;  all  the  stone   
   ¡¨¢ «¨ ª ¬­ï¬¨  §¥¬«î,  çâ®¡ë  they covered it with to  keep   
   ­¨ç¥£®  ­¥  à®á«® ­  ­¥©, ª ª  it  barren; how so diligently   
   ­¨ áç¨é «¨ ¢áïªãî ¯à®¡¨¢ îéã-  every  sprouting   blade   of   
   îáï âà ¢ªã, ª ª ­¨ ¤ë¬¨«¨ ª -  grass  was  removed;  all the   
   ¬¥­­ë¬ 㣫¥¬ ¨ ­¥äâìî, ª ª ­¨  smoke of  coal  and  naphtha;   
   ®¡à¥§ë¢ «¨ ¤¥à¥¢ìï ¨ ­¨ ¢ë£®-  all the cutting down of trees   
   ­ï«¨    ¢á¥å    ¦¨¢®â­ëå    ¨  and  driving  off  of  cattle   
   ¯â¨æ, -- ¢¥á­    ¡ë«   ¢¥á­®î  could   not   shut   out  the   
   ¤ ¦¥ ¨ ¢ £®à®¤¥. ‘®«­æ¥  £à¥-  spring, even from  the  city.   
   «®,  âà ¢ ,  ®¦¨¢ ï,  à®á«  ¨  The   sun  was  shedding  its   
   §¥«¥­¥«  ¢¥§¤¥, £¤¥ ⮫쪮 ­¥  light; the grass, revivified,   
   á®áªà¥¡«¨  ¥¥,  ­¥  ⮫쪮 ­   was  blooming forth, where it   
   £ §®­ å ¡ã«ì¢ à®¢, ­® ¨ ¬¥¦¤ã  was left uncut, not  only  on   
   ¯«¨â ¬¨ ª ¬­¥©, ¨ ¡¥à¥§ë, â®-  the greenswards of the boule-   
   ¯®«¨,   ç¥à¥¬ãå    à á¯ã᪠«¨  vard, but between  the  flag-   
   á¢®¨  ª«¥©ª¨¥  ¨  ¯ åã稥 «¨-  stones,   and   the  birches,   
   áâìï, «¨¯ë ­ ¤ã¢ «¨ «®¯ ¢è¨¥-  poplars and wild-berry  trees   
   áï  ¯®çª¨;  £ «ª¨,  ¢®à®¡ì¨ ¨  were  unfolding their viscous   
   £®«ã¡¨ ¯®-¢¥á¥­­¥¬ã  à ¤®áâ­®  leaves; the  limes  were  un-   
   £®â®¢¨«¨  㦥  £­¥§¤ , ¨ ¬ãå¨  folding their buds; the daws,   
   ¦ã¦¦ «¨  ã  á⥭,   ¯à¨£à¥âë¥  sparrows  and  pigeons   were   
   á®«­æ¥¬. ‚¥á¥«ë ¡ë«¨ ¨ à áâ¥-  joyfully making their custom-   
   ­¨ï, ¨ ¯â¨æë, ¨ ­ á¥ª®¬ë¥,  ¨  ary nests, and the flies were   
   ¤¥â¨.      
   ®   «î¤¨ -- ¡®«ì訥,  buzzing   on  the  sun-warmed   
   ¢§à®á«ë¥ «î¤¨ -- ­¥  ¯¥à¥áâ -  walls. Plants, birds, insects   
   ¢ «¨ ®¡¬ ­ë¢ âì ¨ ¬ãç âì á¥¡ï  and   children  were  equally   
   ¨ ¤à㣠¤à㣠.  ‹î¤¨  áç¨â «¨,  joyful. Only  men -- grown-up   
   çâ®  á¢ï饭­®  ¨ ¢ ¦­® ­¥ íâ®  men -- continued cheating and   
   ¢¥á¥­­¥¥ ãâà®, ­¥ íâ  ªà á®â   tormenting   themselves   and   
   ¬¨à   �®¦¨ï, ¤ ­­ ï ¤«ï ¡« £   each  other. People saw noth-   
   ¢á¥å     áãé¥áâ¢, -- ªà á®â ,  ing holy in this spring morn-   
   à á¯®« £ îé ï  ª ¬¨àã, ᮣ« -  ing,  in this beauty of God's   
   á¨î ¨  «î¡¢¨,     á¢ï饭­®  ¨  world -- a gift to all living   
   ¢ ¦­® â®, çâ®? ®­¨ á ¬¨ ¢ë¤ã-  creatures -- inclining     to   
   ¬ «¨, çâ®¡ë ¢« á⢮¢ âì  ¤à㣠 peace,  good-will  and  love,   
   ­ ¤ ¤à㣮¬.                    but  worshiped  their own in-   
                                  ventions for  imposing  their   
                                  will on each other.   
      
   As  you see, the English translation is longer than the Rus-   
   sian original, even though it is incomlete and omits some of   
   the  Russian words. For example it has "grown-up men"instead   
   of "mature, grown up men".   
      
   My opinion, therefore, is that a good translation is  gener-   
   ally longer than the original because it tries to follow the   
   author's style on a language not adapted to it.   
      
   ---    
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