[Sca-cooks] Doing my best

[ranvaig at columbus.rr.com]

I just received my copy of Daz Büch von Güter 
Spise, the translation by Melitta Adamson.

<soapbox>
The book has a huge rant against the SCA 
translation by Alia Atlas. Among other things it 
says this "translation spread more false 
information on the oldest German cookbook than 
any other edition or translation to date".

Adamson's translation is noticeably better. 
After all, that is why I paid $24 for a tiny 
little paperback.

But except for a few recipes, it only reads 
smoother. Atlas's translation has mistakes, but 
the recipes for the most part are useful to a 
cook, even if they don't make it as literature. 

I started researching German food because of 
Atlas' translation was available online. Is it 
better to have somewhat faulty information, or no 
information at all?  Cariadoc said "The best 
should not become the enemy of the good".

This struck home because I am attempting to do my 
own translation of Rumpolt's Ein New Kochbuch. In 
spite of care, it is no doubt peppered with 
mistakes. 

If a "best" translation of Rumpolt was available, 
I'd love to be using it.  I hope someone 
publishes a better translation than my beginner's 
attempt

If I share my translations, and make something 
available, that was not readily available before, 
does that mean I am "spreading false information"?

Is it wrong to do the best job you can, on something that no one else has done?

</soapbox>

Ranvaig