>I read translations
It's like someone recommending an orange to you so you eat a lemon instead.
>i learn languages other than english
it's like you already have steak, but you decide to eat dogfood instead.
>not learning Russian, French and German for the literature
fuck spanish tho
Can we please stop with nonsense already? I will never learn russian or japanese in a level that someone would deem as acceptable to read literature. So should I ignore their works instead? You can't translate everything spot on, but then again The bible was not written down in English and neither was the communist manifesto and yet you all get the gist of it just fine.
You guys are lucky anyway, uk/us has a lot of good literature. I am from country with lame lit, and since i understand english i shame to read your literature in translation. So only books i read are european, from countries with language i dont understand anyway
Riddle me this /lit/...
Two people are in front of a botton. If they press the botton something bad happens. The first one can choose not to press it and the other one has to press it.
If both press the botton, are the actions of the one who had a choice worse than he who could not choose? Keep in mind that the consequences of pressing the botton for both are the same....
So, if I can read books in english but I chose not to, am I worse than the person who had to read a translation of the Odyssey?
>>7667362
It takes about 4 months of basic study to learn Japanese to basic fluency. There's no fucking excuse.
>not learning all the languages in the world including the dead ones in a lifetime
Contemporary /lit/, everyone.
>>7667388
Fucking LOL
>>7667388
LOL "basic fluency." Reading literature isn't about asking people where you get the bus, directions to the train station, or creepily talking to random people about their ichiban suki na tabemono. Literature is about subtlety, shade, nuance, idiom. Good luck picking that up in 4 months
>>7667344
Already learning Russian and German, my friend
Agreed on Spanish, as well. I have to miss out on Borges and the like, but the translations aren't bad at all.
>>7667388
/lit/ never disappoints to bring the kek
>>7667384
What in the fucking shit is a botton?
>>7667388
>>7667454
how is this shitty image still in circulation? I told the guy who made it not to use it, it's ugly, and I want you to stop using it too. Fuck you.
>>7667332
Pic related may entertain those deeply interested in translation.
>>7667464who made it
>>7667339
Must feel bad
>>7667332
Such splendid logic. Thank-you.
>>7667332
More like you have no access to oranges, the only way to create that access requires at least a year of hard work, you aren't even sure if you liked oranges because you have never had one. While on the other hand you could eat a lemon, which is better than nothing and will give you a rough idea about whether or not you would want to consider getting an orange.
>>7667332
By learning the language, you are essentially translating what you read, provided that you don't think in your new language. You're translating it in your mind, but not as good as a translator, who probably has a phd in said language. I only read Dutch, German, English, French and Latin properly (Italian and Spanish not fluent at all) and I would like to read Russian and Japanese, but not out of necessity.
>>7667339
>learning languages other than English
It's like you already have a fine wine, but decide to drink (????) instead. (I only know English)
