Ik moest daarnet ineens aan dit onderwerp denken, over vertalen en vertalingen in het algemeen, en dan met name het argument dat het zo dicht mogelijk bij de brontekst blijven de beste vertaling zou opleveren...
Ik dacht daarbij aan deze tekst, van het Nederlands vertaald naar het engels en bijzonder dicht bij het origineel gebleven: Voor de mensen die moeite hebben met Engels, hopelijk probeer je het toch. het is in dit geval waarschijnlijk een voordeel!
There once was a poor woodchopper.
"This woodchopping", he said one day to his woman, "there sits no dry bread in it. I work myself an accident the whole day, but you and our twelve children have not to eat".
"I see the future dark in", his woman agreed.
"We must try to fit a sleeve to it", the woodshopper resumed. "I have a plan: tomorrow we shall go on step with the children and when in the middle of the wood we'll leave them to their fate over".
His woman almost went off her little stick when she heard this. "What is there with you on the hand?", she cried. "Aren't you good sob?"
But the woodchopper wasn't brought off his piece by her wailing. He gave no thread.
"It cannot differ to me what you think", he said. "There sits nothing else on; tomorrow we leave them in the wood".
Little Thumbie, the youngest son, had listened off his parents' conversation. The next morning before day and dew he went out and filled his pockets with pebbles. During the walk into the wood he knew unmarked-up to drop them one by one. Then the parents told the children to sprockle some wood. And the parents shined the plate!
When the parents didn't come for the day any more the children understood that they had been left in the stitch. Soon the waterlanders appeared. But Thumbie told them not by the packages down to sit because he would sorrow for it that they all got home wholeskins. Thank be the pebbles he was able to find his way back.
"By God", the parents said as they turned up. "How have you played him that ready?"
"No art on", said Thumbie and explained what he had done. "If you want to be rid of us you will have to stand up a bit earlier".
That is just what the parents did. This time there came no pebbles on to pass. All Thumbie had was a piece of dry bread. He decided that his bread then must believe in it. He left a trail of breadcrumbs but he did not have in the holes that they were being made into soldiers by the birds.
His parents departed with the northern sun as on the day before. But this time Thumbie soon touched rid of the trail. What now?
Good council was expensive. The sun was already under. It was raining pipestems and the crying stood little Thumbie nearer than the laughing. At last he saw a tiny light through the trees. It turned out to be a house.
The lady who stood them to word was a giantess. She gave them what to eat but little Thumbie received the feeling that something wasn't fluff. He had understood that the giantess' man, the giant, was a people-eater who should see no bone in devouring them. If we do not pass up (he thought) we shall be the cigar. As soon as they saw there change clean they took the legs and smeared him.
When the giant came home he sniffed the air and bellowed: "I smell people flesh! Woman, why have you let them go there from through? Bring me my seven-league boots. I go behind after!"
He was about to haul the children in but wonder above wonder: just then he decided to lie down in order to snap a little owl.
"Shoot up, help me!", Thumbie said to his brothers as soon as the giant lay there pitting. "We must see to make him his seven-league boots off-handy".
He squeezed him like an old thief but they went ahead and knew him to draw his boots out.
"Now we must make that we come away!", little Thumbie said.
He put on the boots and quickly made himself out of the feet, carrying his brothers along. Also he had seen chance to roll the giant's pockets and pick in all his gold pieces.
"How have you boxed that before each other!", cried Thumbie's parents in amazement when he showed up.
"It was a pod-skin", said little Thumbie modestly. "I may be small but I stand my little man. And look: we have also brought a lot of poon. We used not to be able to allow ourselves billy-goat's leaps, but now we have our sheep on the dry. We will never become anything too short again! I shall be able to buy myself a nailpants at last! and a woody-stringy!".
"Great", his father exulted. "I shall buy us an auto".
That afternoon he came riding to the fore in a sled of a wagon.
"I seem to be having trouble riding straight out", Thumbie's father said.
"That thank you the cuckoo", his woman said. "You have a piece in your collar! You have him around again. I shall stop you in bed".
The next day all the children were stuck in the clothes as well. In her new dress mother looked like a cleanliness.
After that they moved to the Hague. There they bought a chest of a house on the new explanation and lived happily ever after.
Hoe is de Statenvertaling dan ontstaan 
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