Bellos

 10/25 Bellos 

The idea that had stood out to me was the mention of decorative foreignism, being translated more for the reader than for preserving the original author’s work. When you think about it, most translation issues seem to come from critiques from readers. With the use of decorative foreignism, I do agree that it would stimulate that small part of your mind that, when reading a foreign book, it should feel like a foreign book. It should feel like an accomplishment, and I agree that leaving these small untranslated sections can both give a satisfying feeling while drawing attention away from nit picky critiques that readers once had. 

At the same time, I was glad the Bellos mentioned the actual reader base and their place in making selective foreignism usable. While it would be nice to create this feeling of satisfaction in every reader, the note that the languages of translation have to have connection was definitely well used. Just as German and Russian are not understood by a larger reader base, Japanese has that same issue (at least from what I believe and know). Adding in these small untranslated sections may alienate the reader, instead of having them enjoy the experiences of a foreign book. 

Avi