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Materinaduszka Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
"mule" and "counterstroke of damage control"
Hi everyone,
I have two questions connected with my translation struggle:
1. In "The Colossus" poem, Sylvia Plath mentions a mule ("Mule-bray, pig-grunt and bawdy cackles/Proceed from your great lips./It's worse than a barnyard.") Three great Polish translators replaced the animal with donkey in the Polish version. Since it probably wasn't due to any formal requirements, I think it might have to do with the symbolism of the mule in the cultures of English language - and of donkey in ours (donkey = stubborn, common, unsubtle, unromantic etc.) Are there any fixed associatons with the mule?
2. From an article about Kate Winslet (about a ceremony organized to honour her performance): "Thus, Elie Wiesel has been drafted to host the meal, which would have been a masterly counterstroke of damage control for distributor Harvey Weinstein had Wiesel not bailed at the last minute to attend — oh, bitter irony of the red-carpet campaign trail! — a bris."
- What does "a masterly counterstroke of damage control for distributor..." mean?
Regards,
Materina.
I have two questions connected with my translation struggle:
1. In "The Colossus" poem, Sylvia Plath mentions a mule ("Mule-bray, pig-grunt and bawdy cackles/Proceed from your great lips./It's worse than a barnyard.") Three great Polish translators replaced the animal with donkey in the Polish version. Since it probably wasn't due to any formal requirements, I think it might have to do with the symbolism of the mule in the cultures of English language - and of donkey in ours (donkey = stubborn, common, unsubtle, unromantic etc.) Are there any fixed associatons with the mule?
2. From an article about Kate Winslet (about a ceremony organized to honour her performance): "Thus, Elie Wiesel has been drafted to host the meal, which would have been a masterly counterstroke of damage control for distributor Harvey Weinstein had Wiesel not bailed at the last minute to attend — oh, bitter irony of the red-carpet campaign trail! — a bris."
- What does "a masterly counterstroke of damage control for distributor..." mean?
Regards,
Materina.
Top answer
1. -- Yes: stubborn, rude, ill-tempered 2. -- An excellent effort to minimize the difficulty (whatever it is) created by someone else.
- 1.
- -- Yes: stubborn, rude, ill-tempered 2.
- -- An excellent effort to minimize the difficulty (whatever it is) created by someone else.
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1 Answers
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1. Are there any fixed associations with the mule?-- Yes: stubborn, rude, ill-tempered
2. What does "a masterly counterstroke of damage control for distributor..." mean?-- An excellent effort to minimize the difficulty (whatever it is) created by someone else.
.
1. Are there any fixed associations with the mule?-- Yes: stubborn, rude, ill-tempered
2. What does "a masterly counterstroke of damage control for distributor..." mean?-- An excellent effort to minimize the difficulty (whatever it is) created by someone else.
.
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