hulit1-9, Exercise 2: Translating long sentences

Model answer (check the details):

Why it is difficult: a very long sentence depends on the grammar of the source language. Hungarian, with its case endings and flexible word order, can carry a long chain of clauses with the meaning held together by endings. English relies more on word order and punctuation, and a literal rendering can become hard to follow.

What the translator must decide:
1. How far to keep the length and rhythm, since they are part of the effect.
2. Where to use punctuation and linking words so that the sentence stays readable.
3. How to keep the pace and tone (dark comedy, mounting tension) rather than just the content.
4. How much to adjust for an English reader, accepting that every choice loses something.

Translators such as George Szirtes and Ottilie Mulzet (check) have described these choices in their own accounts, which are worth reading.