SC - Re: Vivendier (and a quesion on primary sources)

[Philippa Alderton]

Well, Jasmine, to truly cook from a primary source, you have to do the
translation yourself, and then follow up with a redaction, IMO, which is
why books like the Curye, in Middle English, are popular. OTOH, if you were
to state that you were cooking from Widdlebump, as translated by P. T.
Snagglefritz, and give the original, followed by the translation, followed
by your redaction, that's about as close as most people are able to come to
a primary source, unless they suffer as I do from a desire to play with the
original languages. I certainly couldn't argue with the Arabic translations
Cariadoc has gotten done on his website, so when I want to play with an
Arabic dish, I have to trust his translation. OTOH, if I get a Latin,
German, French, Italian, Spanish, etc original, I feel I'm not doing the
proper job if I don't work through it in the original, to make sure that
the translator got it right.

A good translation, like the one Cariadoc has for murri, will give other
options for the translated words, particularly when they're in the archaic
form of the language. Language is a living thing, and word meanings change,
particularly considering that in our period, there was very little in the
way of standardized spellings. Adamantius teases me about wanting to read
and translate foreign gum wrappers in order to get the feel of the writer's
intentions, but that is a very real thing, because when you get into a
serious translation, you start to think in that language, and it helps on
judgement calls.

I wouldn't worry too much about being utterly perfect on your first feast.
Just look the material over for obvious anachronisms, and work with what
you've got, and your own common sense.

Phlip,
Who's still wondering how $100 worth of Latin, Italian, French, German, and
Spanish dictionaries managed to jump in her shopping cart at the bookstore
today.....

Caer Frig
Barony of the Middle Marches
Middle Kingdom

Southeastern Ohio

Phlip at bright.net

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider that cain't be throwed.
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