Carta 190
Summary
Tolkien had been sent a list of translations to the nomenclature for the first translation of The Lord of the Rings, into Dutch by Max Schuchart. Tolkien wrote that he objected to translations of personal nomenclature; the Shire was based on (or, as he called it himself, "a parody of") rural England; plus, the toponymy of the Shire was wholly different from that of the Netherlands.
Concerning the map "A Part of the Shire", Tolkien thought translating it to "Een deel von (sic) 'The Shire'" sufficient. By not translating the Appendices, the Translator (this word was capitalized throughout the letter) got himself into problems; Anglo-Saxon was not like Dutch, as Schuchart had translated, it was related to English.
Tolkien sent back a letter containing a detailed commentary, and suggested leaving the maps untranslated, and leave personal nomenclature alone as much as possible. He could provide a list of etymologies that could be included.
Tolkien's most important demand was that the word hobbit stayed unaltered; no more "Hompen".
He closed this letter with an apology for his rigidity, but translations into French of Beatrix Potter had turned out not so well. For example, Mrs. Tiggywinkle became Poupette à l'épingle.
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 27/05/2026.
