[Buddha-l] Photographs of Vasubandhu

[Alberto Todeschini]

K.L.>> Hmmm ... maybe we should have the book translated into English, 
for the
 >> > > benefit of those few of you who are not quite fluent in 
Norwegian yet ...
 > >
R.H. >>An English translation would be most welcome,

K.L> Svein (my co-author) and I have been toying with the idea.  The 
problem of
course is that we both feel that our native language is the best medium for
expressing our very subtle thinking. And do you really want yet another
Buddhist book in unidiomatic English?<

Dear Kare and Richard,

I also would be very happy to read your work, and an unidiomatic English 
would do just fine.
I have often thought about the pros and cons of writing in Italian, i.e. 
my native language. On the one hand, it seems like it would be a shame 
if people simply stopped writing academic Italian and chose English 
instead to reach a wider audience. On the other hand, the vast majority 
of what Buddhist scholars write in Italian is completely and utterly 
ignored in the academic world. An advanced PhD student here at the 
University of Virginia recently asked me if there is such thing as the 
study of Buddhism in Italy. [But he also had some doubt about Europe in 
general.] I suppose in part this is a matter of laziness. Anyone who can 
read French or Spanish fluently can read academic Italian with just a 
little effort and the occasional use of a dictionary.

So what shall we do? Simply abandon our native languages? Or shall we 
write in tongues that very few people care to read?

Alberto Todeschini