Re: [AGA-mcm] [APD] Re: Kasselmann's Book (fwd)

["S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>]

Fair enough. I always learn something from your
explanations. Except when you talk about networks, which
still thoroughly baffle me. Anyway, in meager riposte, let
me point out that I wasn't saying, "It *can't* be done." I
was counseling, "Holy smackers, think about the costs!"

As the fiduciarily funless fellow, I get paid to worry
about the money. And I earn every penny I get here ;-) 

However, I can move to the other side of the table, too,
and focus on enabling. You might call me wishy washy. I
prefer "Socratic."

Sticking with AGA providing otherwise non-translated stuff
that Anglo folks can't otherwise get, that kind of program
fits the purposes imo. I wouldn't want an exclusive; I'd
want to fill a hole and if the hole disappears, then I'd
want to stop trying to fill it. I.e., if some commmerical
venture decided to bring in the material in English --
that's when we'd drop out and let pure unbridled capitalism
have its way. I think we'd be crazy not to drop out in that
situation and even crazier to do anything that might
forestall the possibility. But while there's a hole to
fill, the hole-filling is a good purpose even if it is one
into which we would be putting our money -- that is to say,
one unlikely to turn a profit.

No, I don't have any notion that we would make money on
this -- although we might recover some -- maybe a lot -- of
the expenses. But if we keep it simple and on leash it
could be a desireable, appropriate, even *noble* use of AGA
money. Or, in the terms I like, it could be fitting net
consumer of funds as opposed to a net contributor to funds.


The issue then, and I don't think this is a profound
comment, is resources, i.e., labor and money. How much will
it take, where do we get it and do we want to use that much
on this rather than some other things. 

We know where the money comes from -- we have a nearly
enough funds in reserve to operate for a year without
income. I think that's rouhgly a good amount of reserve to
have and using a few grand for AGA purposes ain't a bad
idea. So, we have part of an answer there -- where would
the money come from, from reserves. The other issues are
still open. 

Of course, we have to weigh the use of funds against other
possible uses, like Big TAG, more The Basics, etc. having
lots of programs to choose amongst is better than fewer,
imo. But we can't choose them all. Well, we could, but we
probably shouldn't. So be it.

If we're going to suppose about the translation program,
then next we should suppose some of these things:

What's B&W laserprint/photocopy? $0.30/per page? 
How many pages is the CK book and, minus the pics, and
How many text pages (8.5x11) does that translate into?
What sort of ballpark are we in. 
Who will administer?
Who speaks and writes Deutche? Even better, who speaks and
writes Deutche, loves plants, and likes working for AGA
wages? I can do a few words my grandmothers taught me but I
doubt they occur in CK's work.


sh
--- Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com> wrote:

> OK OK stop already with the "it can't be done" stuff. 
> Let me explain.
> 
> What I am theorizing (not even proposing) is that we
> would find someone 
> who would be willing to translate from the German for
> little or no money 
> (unfortunately), and then we print a BLACK AND WHITE
> booklet, possibly 
> even xeroxed if that were cheaper, with JUST THE TEXT, as
> well as 
> back-references to the book pages.  We would sell
> Christel's book bundled 
> with this translation.
> 
> The key is to do this with notable books of which there
> is no plan to 
> publish in English and to get the author's permission. 
> It's kind of like 
> Anime fansubbing.
> 
> There is precedent for this.  The ACA originally sold
> English translations 
> of the Linke and Staeck cichlid books published by Tetra
> press in the 
> 1980's, before a real translation came out in the 1990's.
>  Mike Wise, 
> an Apistogramma zealot in Denver, has been personally
> translating seminal 
> German dwarf cichlid texts since the early 1980's and
> giving away the 
> translated manuscripts for printing cost.
> 
> I'm thinking that this might be one way in which the AGA
> can continue with 
> our book sales mission -- bringing otherwise unavailable
> books to the 
> hobby.  The key in this case is finding an appropriate
> nut job who 
> can translate German.
> 
>    - Erik
> 
> 
> On Tue, 2 Aug 2005, S. Hieber wrote:
> 
> > I wish I could remeber what she said about this kind of
> > thing. The best I can recall is that it's hard to find
> a
> > good translator, it's expensive, it's very hard for
> sales
> > to cover printing costs.
> >
> > Are you thinking of a stapled "handout" that
> accompanies
> > the already printed book?
> >
> > sh
> >
> > --- Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Maybe this is an opportunity for the AGA... if there
> is
> >> no english version
> >> of the Echinodorus book planned, we could have someone
> >> translate it into
> >> German, and sell the translation along with the german
> >> edition...
> >>
> >> --
> >> Erik Olson
> >> erik at thekrib dot com
> >>
> >> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> >> Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 10:34:20 -0400
> >> From: JAMES PURCHASE <jppurchase@rogers.com>
> >> Reply-To: aquatic plants digest
> >> <aquatic-plants@actwin.com>
> >> To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants@actwin.com>
> >> Subject: [APD] Re: Kasselmann's Book
> >>
> >> To: Anyone who cares to read...
> >>
> >> I've ordered Kasselmann's new book, and am looking
> >> forward to reading it.
> >> However, she also has a book devoted to Echinodorus
> (so
> >> far, only available in
> >> German) that I would give my eye-teeth for in English.
> If
> >> anyone has any
> >> contact with Christel, please encourage her to have it
> >> translated into English
> >> (Karen, are your online?)
> >>
> >> James Purchase
> >> Toronto
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> >> Aquatic-Plants@actwin.com
> >> http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> 
> -- 
> Erik Olson
> erik at thekrib dot com
> _______________________________________________
> AGA-mcm mailing list
> AGA-mcm@thekrib.com
> http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/aga-mcm
> 


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