To Err on the Side of Beauty: On Translating and Mistranslating "YOẒI" and "KOFIN OTO L'HOẒI" in B. Yevamot 44a-b
B. Yevamot 44b presents an unusual baraita that is internally incoherent and that contradicts the mishna on b. Yevamot 44a that it is intended to support. The incoherence and contradiction are the result of a difference in the meanings of the facially similar terms "yoẓi" and "kofin &...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Hebrew studies
Year: 2024, Volume: 65, Issue: 1, Pages: 27-47 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Mishnah. Yevamot
/ Tosefta. Yevamot
/ Hebrew language
/ Translation
/ Translation science
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| IxTheo Classification: | BH Judaism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | B. Yevamot 44b presents an unusual baraita that is internally incoherent and that contradicts the mishna on b. Yevamot 44a that it is intended to support. The incoherence and contradiction are the result of a difference in the meanings of the facially similar terms "yoẓi" and "kofin 'oto lehoẓi" that appear as parallels in the mishna and the baraita. This article argues that the baraita is likely a redacted version of the parallel tosefta, which was edited in order to achieve structural harmony with the mishna. The false symmetry that resulted from the difference in the meanings of the seemingly equivalent terms posed a dilemma for translators who were left with the unenviable choice of preserving the esthetic symmetry by incorrectly translating the mishna or unnecessarily emending the baraita, or of accurately translating the mishna and preserving the mistake in the baraita while sacrificing the esthetic choice of the author. |
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| ISSN: | 2158-1681 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/hbr.2024.a945130 |
