Shakespeare sounds better in Hungarian; or maybe even in Russian or Eskimo

Ever since I learnt the name Shakespeare back in Hungary, I have heard from my erudite Hungarian friends that Shakespeare sounds better in Hungarian translation than in the original.

At first blush the argument sounds impressive. On second, on a deeper analysis, I am not even sure what it means. A translator has translated “better” than Shakespeare’s original? He or she has divined what the Bard had meant to say and said it better in Hungarian? (or Russian or in Eskimo?). That is hubris or Chutzpah beyond belief. Surely, even the translator cannot believe what his acolytes, or supporters attribute to his translations.

But let us for a moment assume that the above is the case: Reading side by side a few selected excerpts, in English and Hungarian, and the Hungarian “sounds better”. How many of those who claim superiority to the translated version speak good enough English to pass judgement. In my experience very few. But even if the Hungarian version “sounds better”, does that mean that that is how Shakespeare wanted it to sound? Surely, he was acknowledged as the greatest practicer of the English language. Who is to say that he did not want it to sound the way he wrote it?

But let us go one step further, let us assume that the poor Bard had a bad day, did not turn out the best Sonnet, one or two out of several hundred. He needed the help of the great Hungarian translators who “improved” on his English (according to the disciples). What does this prove? That the translator is a better poet? Or that if he has several days to perfect a single sentence in Hungarian, that it now is superior? After all, Shakespeare did not spend weeks on a single line of a Sonnet, and wrote his plays extremely fast. Is it surprising that a Petofi or an Arany, or Arpad Toth (great Hungarian poet/translators) can make some of his plays in 19th century Hungarian “sound better” than Shakespeare’s 17th century English. Though, I repeat, of my acquaintances who repeat the mantra that Shakespeare sounds better in Hungarian, not one has read the originals in their entirety.

This belief will persists, because it supports some psychology of the believer that I do not understand.