zlacker

Truly, being able to read Lem's works untranslated is my favourite thing about being a native polish speaker. There are some fantastic translations out there, but somehow, when it comes to sci-fi, I find works written in polish or other eastern european languages to flow better. In addition to the above, I find that reading an older physical edition adds much charm to vintage sci-fi. The copy of The Truth I own comes from 1967 and the feel of the old, yellowed pages does enhance the reading experience.

>>miav+(OP)
Could you point to some good Lem translations? My sense is that a lot is lost because of the cultural differences, too.

>>andrei+q2
Michael Kandel’s translations are as good as you’re going to find. Lem’s literary agent called them “excellent”.

>>xyzzyz+l6
To this day I boggle at how Kandel managed to translate much of The Cyberiad.

Most anyone would have just broke down and changed jobs.

>>miav+(OP)
> native polish speaker.

Ah, the man I want. Tell me, is "Ijon Tichy" a joke on "tachyon", or something else?

(noticed that years ago, been wondering it could not possibly be accidental, not Lem ...)

>>B1FF_P+Vb
Probably not, the name goes before the surname in Polish (like in English), so saying "Tichy Ijon" would sound a bit unnatural, even if the 'Citizen Tichy Ijon' form was promoted in communist time, probably as a borrowing from a more formal Russian?

The word 'tichy' means 'silent' in Czech/Slovakian, and maybe in some smaller Polish dialects.

Though http://encyklopediafantastyki.pl/index.php?title=Ijon_Tichy claims that "the ancestor of Tichy was called Cichy (the silent one in Polish), but the official putting down the name in the official register was lisping"

>>B1FF_P+Vb
I doubt it, as puns like this are generally not Lem's style in my opinion. "Tichy Ijon" kinda sounds like tachion, which is polish for tachyon, but I would chalk it up to coincidence.