Talk:Andrzej Sapkowski

I'd like to propose the following changes to the article, without actually introducing them yet:

The Warlock -> The Witcher - see below why.

The Hexer -> The Witcher (I know that the Author himself prefers that term, but I think Witcher sounds better. ESP. being derieved from "witch")

In the bibliography section, there seems to be an inconsistency - Witcher and Hexer are used to and fro. Could this be standardised?

Book title translations:

Blood of the Elves -> OK Season of Contempt -> This sounds more like a marketing slogan. May I propose "Time of Contempt"? Baptism by Fire -> "Baptism of fire" (I would back this up by the quote from "Brothers in Arms" which is a motto of the book) The Swallow's Tower -> "Tower of the Swallow". Just sounds better. Mistress of the Lake -> Mistress seems to me like a derivative of Master. The title comes from Arthurian legends, ergo "Lady of the Lake" sounds more in place.

I'm also not sure about Warriors of God, but I'd like to hear your suggestions.

Best, -- grok

---

I'm afraid Witcher doesn't make very much sense for either the translation of the book or the film.

First of all, witcher isn't a word in English, where as hexer and warlock are both used in current and historical English vocabulary. I believe you could find the term witcher used in a very coloquial (or potoczny) manner in 16th-19th century English, but even then it would be a fairly uncommon and marginal term in comparison to the clear and well-understood terms warlock and hexer.

Secondly, there is already a fair degree of incoherance introduced into the translation of Wiedzmin by using two distinct, yet related, terms for the novel/short story and the film, alternatively. IMDB and the English-language distribution of the film Wiedzmin already uses the term hexer for the movie, which as you've noted is the prefered translation of Sapkowski himself. But the book's title is widely translated as warlock among English-language fantasy sites and unofficial translations of parts of the book. I imagine that when an offical translation is made, released under license by Sapkowski's Polish agent, that the title will officially be hexer. When that decision is made, this page should be standardised.

With all due respect, the translation ideas that you've offered for Sapkowski's various other writings show a marked unfamiliarity with English style: Time of Contempt is a very clunky way of translating Czas pogardy, as 'season' adds a literary tone to the tile that 'time' lacks. Again, with Chrzest ognia, 'Baptism by Fire' is the best translation because the phrase is proverbial in English - look it up in the dictionary. The Swallow's Tower sounds much smoother than Tower of the Swallow to the native ear. The possessive form is always prefered over the more verbose and less elegent construction 'of the', though I understand the temptation to use that phrase for a native Polish speaker. I will agree with you on Lady of the Lake, as that is a finer translation than 'Mistress of the Lake', however I would wonder how the author feels about having his work conflated with the Arthurian legend, as opposed to standing on its own two feet with its own distinct title. I haven't read the story in Polish...

If you intend to make changes to English-language translations of foreign-language works, I would advise you act with caution, because English title construction is very different from Polish construction: run it by a native speaker first. Moreover, if you intend to make changes like this, get an account and log in. user:Benzamin 10:50 EST, 29 April 2005

---

I agree with most of your comments. With regards to "Lady of the Lake", there is absolutely no problem in binding it to the Arthurian legend. The last part is absolutely stuffed with clear and direct references to the Arthurian legend (Nimue, Fisher King, Galahad, Graal, various quotes) so it's perfectly safe to re-use this title.

As for the inexistance of "Witcher" in English, there is no word "Wiedzmin" in Polish as well. "Wiedzm" (root of the word) is female ("Witch") with "-a" suffix (= Wiedzma, Czarownica), the suffix "-min" makes the noun male. The author intentionally did not use Polish equivalents of "Warlock", however he is (and I know this from the horse's mouth) slightly biased towards "Hexer". That's why I have made "Hexer" the primary translation and left "Witcher" as a new word built from the "Witch" optional.

At some point in "Blood of the Elves", the main character, little girl (Ciri) talks to sorceress that is teaching her magic. The dialogue goes like this:

CIRI: But I cannot be a [female witch]! [...] I'm destined to be [female witch + male suffix + another female suffix]! (witcher, witcheress)

The polish sentence clearly plays with the double gender-bender. It is a good pointer of the author's intentions. According to your interpretation and proposed translation, the sentence would (more or less) go like:

[superNOWA, 1994, p. 264]

CIRI: But I cannot be a witch! [...] I'm destined to be warlock[ess?]! (or hexeress? well, she isn't either a warlock or hexer, obviously!)

There is a clear indication of the female suffix in this "job title" which plays fundamental role in the entire book. Furthermore, the "hexer", apparently derieved from german "hexe" - female witch has male suffix. I'm not sure, if you can use the female form (hexe) directly in English (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Therefore, based on the specifics of the origins of "Wiedzmin", I would propose "Witcher" or, "Hexer" for purists. I'd like to stress the unsuitability of word "Warlock" -- despite the fact that it's used in numerous unauthorised translations.

The translation of the line of dialogue would look more or less like:

CIRI: But I cannot be a witch! [...] I'm destined to be hexeress!

This is as close (in meaning) to the original line:

CIRI: "Ale ja nie nadaję się na czarownicę! [...] Jestem przeznaczona na wiedźminkę!"

How does that sound?

Best regards, -- grok (user:Julian.A.Pankratz Sun May 1 14:11:49 BST 2005)

Just a few cents. In the main heading a line reads: "This cycle and his many other books have made him one of the most well-known sci-fi authors in Poland 1990s". Would 'fantasy' not be a better choice here then 'sci-fi'? I have not read all of Sapkowski's short stories but most of his works seem to be in that genre of literature.

The choice between Hexer/Witcher/Warlock is difficult, but I have to side with Julian on this.

1. In most dictionaries a Warlock is pictured as a wielder of dark magics, someone akin to a dark mage. This is in contrast with the books, where Geralt is skilled primarily in sword combat. His only magic abilities come in the form of so called 'signs' (Pol: znaki), but they are more like parlour tricks compared to what even the lesser skilled wizards can do in Sapkowski's universe. Finally, the concept of a Warlock being a predominantly magic user seems to be fairly accepted in most of today's literature and games (of any kind). I feel using the term to describe Geralt would send a wrong impression to any reader of the article that is unfamiliar with the subject.

2. As to 'Hexer', you (Benzamin) say that "... hexer and warlock are both used in current and historical English vocabulary". While I agree about 'Warlock' being used quite commonly, I would like to see some examples of 'Hexer' in the English language. I tried a few online dictionaries and Google but could not find anything resembling the use of that word in the context you specify. I also do not recall seing it in any fantasy books or other literature I have ever read. That of course does not make a case for why 'Witcher' should be preferred. However the word 'hex' from which it derives means: 1. An evil spell; a curse / 2. One that brings bad luck. This would imply to the casual reader that Geralt is somehow involved in spells (evil, no less) or that he is himself evil. At the very least he might bring you bad luck :) While this does in fact occur (quite frequently) in the books, once again I feel the wrong impression is created.

3. I would therefore argue that 'Witcher' is the most correct of the three. Julian's explanation of how it is derived is much better then anything that I could write, but I also want to add that it is intangibly the best sounding. I was born and spent my childhood in Poland before moving abroad and I speak both Polish and English fluently, but more importantly I think I have an understanding of the 'workings' of both languages. This is not meant as a boast of any kind, just my only explanation of preferring one similar term over another. Something like a linguistic gut feeling maybe :) This is my first ever post by the way, be gentle.

--Etrusk 01:06, May 3, 2005 (UTC)