[Sca-cooks] Doing my best

[Daniel Myers]

On Mar 2, 2007, at 10:27 PM, ranvaig at columbus.rr.com wrote:

> 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.

Just because it was translated by a member of the SCA does not make  
it an SCA translation.  There are some in academia though who will  
tar all SCAdians with the same brush.

> 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.

Then the cooks who can't afford Adamson's version will use the free  
one, and the historians who want the best translation they can get  
still have something to buy - as will the libraries.  Everybody wins.

Adamson's biggest reason to complain though is probably rooted in the  
mistaken belief that if there's a free version of a text on the web,  
then a bound hardcopy has less value.

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

No.  Your translation may not be perfect, but odds are it's better  
than nothing.  You can only "spread misinformation" if you  
intentionally pass on translations that you know are wrong (as  
opposed to essentially correct but inelegant).

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

Not in my opinion.  If you're willing to make your translation freely  
accessible and to correct errors when/if they're pointed out to you,  
then you're making a valuable contribution to the field.  Keep at it!

- Doc


-- 
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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
  Pasciunt, mugiunt, confidiunt.
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