“Horses for Courses”: talk on Russian translation by Professor Andrew Jameson of Lancaster University, at Wolfson Court on May 18, 2004.

Professor Jameson spoke in English about the pitfalls of Russian translation, based on his experiences as a translator and his work as a teacher of Russian. The talk was very well attended both Russian Society members and past and present members of Cambridge University Russian department.

Professor Jameson outlined the key technical problems encountered in the practice of translation and illustrated basic principles of translation with practical examples in Russian and English, including the St. Petersburg Official City Guide for 2004, which he translated into English for the City administration. The title of his talk referred to the translator’s need to choose the most appropriate vehicle in the target language to convey the concepts of the source language, just as horse-trainers choose horses best suited to run on particular race courses.

Professor Jameson’s presentation was witty, stimulating, highly enjoyable and extremely informative. Audience participation was encouraged and there was lively discussion about methods of dealing with tricky words and phrases. The talk was also attended by a Russian translator from London, Eyvor Fogarty, former Chairperson of the Institute of Russian Translation & Interpreting, who was recently awarded a Pushkin Gold Medal for her services to Russian translation.