Gréasaghas, that is great work, and I think it will help many people. My comments on the English in Shiana are not a criticism of your parallel-language edition, but I'm just looking at the type of English that was in Shiana, the authorised English translation. It is in very poor English. Maybe this is how the first generation of people in the Gaeltacht to learn English imagined that English was spoken. Nevertheless, the translations there could give an idea of the meaning, without always being in correct English.
In Ch1:
Quote:
He had a soogaun1 chair which he had made for himself, and he used to sit in it in the evening when the day's work was done, and when he sat in it he was very comfortable. He had a malvogue of meal hanging up near the fire, and now and then he used to put his hand into it and take a handful of the meal, and chew it at his leisure. He had an apple-tree growing outside his door, and when he used to be thirsty from chewing the meal he would put his hand into the tree and take one of the apples, and eat it.
This is not how "used to" is used in English. "Used to" describes a habitual action in the past that is no longer true. He used to sit there in the evenings, but he doesn't now. These should be "he would sit" and "he would put" and "when he was thirsty". In particular, "when" coupled with "used to" sounds bad - the point is made at
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads ... o.3698274/ that this combination is one that English teachers recommend English learners to avoid. "When he was thirsty" or "whenever he was thirsty" is correct.
Quote:
The next person that sits in it, except myself, may he stick in it !
"Stick" is transitive. This must be "get stuck".
And so on through the book. It's as if the translator had never met a native speaker of English.
Let's look at Ch21, as that is the chapter I'm in in an edition I'm preparing:
Quote:
Whatever it was that put her eye out, the woman who came to Dermot was blind of one eye.
Blind ***in**** one eye.
Quote:
they said the priest ought to be sent for before nightfall for fear the man might get bad
"Get bad?" Have a turn for the worse.
Quote:
I know where she was born and reared, and a bad rearing she was
She had a bad upbringing.
Quote:
It is no good for me to be at them.
This is a literal translation from Irish and doesn't mean anything in English. It is a waste of time hassling them over it?
Quote:
Or how did she find out that Sive was from home ?
"From home" doesn' t have the required meaning in English. Away from home?
Quote:
the terrible work that was done here on the fair day
The terrible carry-on here on the day of the fair. ("The fair day" means nothing, or maybe, at a pinch, it means a day when the weather is fair.)
Quote:
she would get a hand-reach' of money out of you
Means nothing in English. A donation?
Quote:
" It does not matter a pin," said the priest.
There is no such phrase in English. Does not matter a jot?
Quote:
Sive had met a bad companion
Fallen into bad company.
Quote:
I would not be at all surprised myself if there turned out to be a spice of truth in the rumour.
There is no such phrase in English. A kernel of truth?
Quote:
If they are married it will be red war with them as long as they live.
No such phrase in English. Ructions?
Quote:
there is not a woman living to-day on the dry land of Ireland
No such phrase in English. Anywhere on Irish soil?
Quote:
Cut off my ear if she doesn't.
No such phrase in English. I'll eat my hat?
Quote:
With that, who should walk in at the door to them but the big tinker.
Walk IN THE DOOR, not "walk in at the door".
These are the main errors in Ch21 only - there are dozens of other sentences in that chapter that would need to be rewritten entirely in English.
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