mjh Posted September 23, 2011 Share #1 Posted September 23, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) LFI 7/2011 is out now but I guess it will still take some time for subscribers of the English language edition to receive their copy. Anyway, LFI 7/2011 features the second installment of my mini-series on sharpness and resolution, “Lens vs. Sensor”, and I would like to get some feedback on how this second installment compares to the first. Not content-wise since it covers different topics, but with regard to language and style. The reason I’m asking is this: The usual genesis of an LFI article is that the author writes in his or her native language – which nearly always happens to be German – which is then translated for the English version of LFI. But not this time: I wrote the article in English and Olaf Stefanus (OS) did the translation for the German language edition of LFI. Admittedly this is somewhat odd; why should an author write in a language that isn’t his native language? On the other hand I’ve done this before when I was working for Victor by Hasselblad and I couldn’t say I was always happy with the English language versions of my LFI articles. So what is it that you prefer? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 23, 2011 Posted September 23, 2011 Hi mjh, Take a look here LFI 7/2011. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted September 24, 2011 Share #2 Posted September 24, 2011 I haven't seen it yet, but judging from the English you write in your posts here and the sometimes virtually incomprehensible translations from German that LFI used to produce this should be a vast improvement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted September 24, 2011 Share #3 Posted September 24, 2011 I let my LFI subscription lapse, but I'm glad that you continue to post here in English. Your posts are clear and informative. I often felt the desire to edit awkwardly worded LFI articles, but now that you've clarified the German language origins, grammar might have improved at the expense of facts. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted September 24, 2011 Share #4 Posted September 24, 2011 Hi Michael, I really liked your first article. When I started reading it, I was very doubtful that I would get anything out of it - it just looked too esoteric. But your explanation was so well constructed and clear that I really enjoyed it. Sadly, it takes a long time for LFI to get to the bottom of the World. If ever you're concerned about an English article, I'm more than happy to help, if you want a proof reader. Cheers John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdai Posted September 24, 2011 Share #5 Posted September 24, 2011 English is my third but working language used on a daily basis, Michael. Judging by my experience reading your articles in Victor by Hasselblad, fotoMagazine and LFI English, I think your command of English is great and better in many different ways than a lot of folks here in Canada/US ... I like your writing style either way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asmith Posted September 24, 2011 Share #6 Posted September 24, 2011 As a native English speaker I am enormously impressed with your elegant English - as also with that of Jaap and Lars. Like many English natives, I have only a reading ability in other languages and often feel ashamed. That is why I rarely criticise the sometimes odd English in many LFI articles. Alwyn Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted September 24, 2011 Share #7 Posted September 24, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Michael, I found the first article very good and to the point, and am looking forward to the new one. The distance from Hamburg to Stockholm however is about equal to that from Hamburg to Australia. The old man from the Age of the Horse and Buggy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted September 24, 2011 Share #8 Posted September 24, 2011 A general rule of translation is that a professional translator should always translate into their own native language. I suspect that the somewhat idiosyncratic English translation sometimes found in LFI is because this guidance is not followed, that is, the translation into English is perhaps being done by non native English speakers. Having said that, I would like to say that I have always found Michael's English prose to be both poised and polished. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 24, 2011 Share #9 Posted September 24, 2011 Another rule is that the translator should have enough understanding of the subject to comprehend the text and use the correct technical terms:rolleyes: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberti Posted September 28, 2011 Share #10 Posted September 28, 2011 I like to thank you for the good English indeed, and rendering a difficult subject in clear language. And you had me dream a bit on the subject of an achromatic BW-sensor. As a funny example of translation, an article of mine was translated from dutch to English, I talked about a meeting with government officials, and the translator made it into 'government mandarins'. Off-shoring! albert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 28, 2011 Share #11 Posted September 28, 2011 Enjoyed the article. I can only wish other articles in LFI were written in similarly good English ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spylaw4 Posted September 29, 2011 Share #12 Posted September 29, 2011 Enjoyed the article. I can only wish other articles in LFI were written in similarly good English ! +1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted September 29, 2011 Share #13 Posted September 29, 2011 Dear Michael: The issue arrived finally on Wednesday. Very good and clear article, though not quite as meaty as the previous one. I think the LFI should publish more stuff like this. Lars Bergquist Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted October 1, 2011 Share #14 Posted October 1, 2011 ...The reason I’m asking is this: The usual genesis of an LFI article is that the author writes in his or her native language – which nearly always happens to be German – which is then translated for the English version of LFI. But not this time: I wrote the article in English and Olaf Stefanus (OS) did the translation for the German language edition of LFI. Admittedly this is somewhat odd; why should an author write in a language that isn’t his native language? On the other hand I’ve done this before when I was working for Victor by Hasselblad and I couldn’t say I was always happy with the English language versions of my LFI articles. So what is it that you prefer? Mine arrived today, Michael. First class article and the English is superb. Please arrange for the rest of the material to read as easily!. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delander † Posted October 1, 2011 Share #15 Posted October 1, 2011 Very good English! Just a couple of comments. There are some long sentences in there and that makes the reader rush through to get to the end of each sentence. Second sentence in second para is an example. Also this sentence starts very clumsily. In the first sentence first para we would not use the 'it' after 'requires'. Page 21 right hand column, 7 line from bottom I would replace 'still' with 'even so'. Also I would generally use 'I' not 'we'. Page 22 left hand column, first new para, line 5, use 'which' instead of 'that'. Last sentence, ';' followed by 'also …' we would not use this construction, it reads as an afterthought. There are more instances of such, but generally one has to look hard to find evidence of a non-native English language writer. Let the arguments begin! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted October 2, 2011 Share #16 Posted October 2, 2011 Michael, your posts are uniformly informative and written in manner that makes it easy to understand. I'd say you are usually the best source of definitive explanations on technical matter. It's always a privilege & honor to read your posts. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayewing Posted October 2, 2011 Share #17 Posted October 2, 2011 I have just received my copy of LFI 7/2011 so I have read through the second part of the article on Sharpnass, Resolution and Moire. I really need to go back and read the first article again before re-reading the second part. I will do this in the next day or two. I find the language extremely clear even if the underlying concepts require a bit of digestion. Thank you Michael for the clear exposition. I think you are right to write in English as your prose is excellent and probably much more accurate than any translation would be by a third party having first to understand the German and then having to make an accurate translation - two stages, each one fraught with the possibility of getting things wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted October 2, 2011 Share #18 Posted October 2, 2011 Michael I have both issues and just re-read them. Both are very useful of course and as an English only native speaker I noticed only one or two word or grammatical errors in each. Your English is extremely accomplished and polished of course. Both articles in my view are of a high standard and I would suggest better in this regard than some other English LFI articles. My impression is that the later article has slightly more rounded and complex sentence structure if that makes sense. The earlier one has perhaps fractionally more concise sentence structure (which I marginally prefer with the content). That preference may simply be from my own background. The differences though are small and each provides very successful delivery of the technical content. If this is something that you wish to pursue in detail, I can provide contact details for a professional (English born) industry technical translator based in Germany if you like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted October 2, 2011 Share #19 Posted October 2, 2011 I haven't seen it yet, but judging from the English you write in your posts here and the sometimes virtually incomprehensible translations from German that LFI used to produce this should be a vast improvement OTOH my LFI interview was in English which was apparently translated to German for editing, then translated back to English from the edited German text. The meaning of the phrase "lost in the translation" became very clear to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted October 2, 2011 Share #20 Posted October 2, 2011 Michael, I've just read your piece, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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