July 26, 2011

July 26, 2011

This is one of my favorite posts so far--the description of Edison dressed as a quintessential nerd... I love it!

Baci,
Cristina

E aiutato da un numero grande di assistenti e qualunque cosa gli salti in mente di costruire lo puo fare sensza difficolta. Edison e un bell’uomo alto e tarchiato dalla faccia napoleonica. E gentile, ma piuttosto sordo, e d’altra parte non essendo il prof. Ferraris capace pel momento ne di intendere ne di spiegarsi molto in inglese, la conversazione non fu molto animata. Era vestito da laboratorio con una lunga blouse blu tutta bucata e sporca e certamente era piu poveramente vestito di tutti i suoi operai.

He is helped by a huge number of assistants and whatever pops into his head to build, he can make it, no problem. Edison is a handsome man, stocky with a [french/napolean?] face. He’s friendly, but more or less deaf, and the other problem is that since Prof Ferraris can’t understand or explain much in English, the conversation was not too lively. He [Edison] was dressed in lab clothes with a long blue shirt [lab coat?], all holey and dirty, and certainly the most pitiful clothes of all of his workers

July 26, 2011

Questi ci accolse gentilissimamente e si mise a nostra disposizione per farci visitare la citta e ci diede un rendez-vous pel domani matina. Alla sera andammo a teatro. La produzione era povera cosa in se stessa matutto quello che era mise en scene no lasciava nulla a desiderare. La matina dopo il signor Hammer ci condusse a Llewellin Park, distante un a mess’ora di ferrovia da New York a vedere i laboratorio di Edison. Il signor Edison in persona ci venne a ricevere e fece con noi un po’ di conversazione e ci esegui sul suo fonografo alcuni pezzi di musica. Come vedi ho incominciato presto a far la concoscenza di persone celebri. Edison ha la a Llewellin Park un enorme edificio che come la maggor parte degli edifici industriali e priavati di qui e in legno. La oltre e una belissima biblioteca ed un magazzino in cui tiene un up di tutto ha un enorme laboratorio con una settantina di cavalli di forza motrice, macchine dinamo eletriche, torni, macchine utensili, un gabinetto completo di fisica ed uno di chimica, un gabinetto di fotografico e persino un teatro dove sta facendo esperienze, che pare fino adesso non riescano molto, sul cinetografo.

He was friendly and was at our disposal for touring the city, and then met up with us the next morning. In the evening we went to the theatre. The production was terrible, but the scenery [left nothing to desire?]. The next morning after seeing Mr. Hammer, we went to Llewellin Park [Llewellyn Park], about half an hour by train from New York to see Edison’s laboratory. Mr. Edison greeted us in person and chatted with us a little and played a couple of pieces of music on his phonograph. See, I’ve already started to meet famous people! There at Llewellin Park, Edison has a huge office which is like most of the industrial and private offices here and is made of wood. The other is a beautiful library and warehouse in which there is a little of everything, there is an enormous laboratory with [seventy horsepower, electric machines, utility machines, a complete physics lab and chemistry lab, a photography lab, even a theatre, where they create experiences, that so far don’t seem able to do much, on a movie screen.

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A special shout out to request corrections and feedback so far on this letter. It is such an interesting one! I want to make sure we get the experience at Edison's lab just right! Thanks for all your help so far. This has been so much fun! XOXO Cristina

June 21, 2011

Today I’m starting on the 2nd letter in the book. Dated August 13, 1893 (Camillo’s Birthday). On David's suggestion, I'm going to try translating a little less literally and more with my own impressions of what would sound more fluid in English.

Adesso che ti ho dato qualche impressione sulla citta ti diro come vi ho passato il mio tempo. Il primo giorno dopo sbarcati siamo andati all’albergo e dopo ci siamo messi a girare per la citta e in questo giro ho avuto la noia di perdere la chiavina del mio baule.

Il giorno dopo il prof. Ferraris ed io siamo stati a trovare un certo sig. Hammer vice-Presidente della Societa degli ingenieri elettricisti americani. E un giovane simpatico ed attivo, molto gentile, molto attivo, e un po’fanfarone. Ha un mania per le collezioni.

Now that I’ve given you a few impressions of the city. I’ll tell you how I’ve spent my time. The first day after disembarking we went to the hotel, and afterward we did a tour around the city and during this tour [I was irritated to realize that I lost the key to my trunk?].

The next day Professor Ferraris and I were looking for a certain Mr. Hammer, Vice President of the Society of American Electrical Engineers. He is a nice young man, kind and active, very kind and very active and a little bit of a [big talker?]. He has a passion for collections.

Adesso che ti ho dato qualche impressione sulla citta ti diro come vi ho passato il mio tempo. Il primo giorno dopo sbarcati siamo andati all’albergo e dopo ci siamo messi a girare per la citta e in questo giro ho avuto la noia di perdere la chiavina del mio baule.

Il giorno dopo il prof. Ferraris ed io siamo stati a trovare un certo sig. Hammer vice-Presidente della Societa degli ingenieri elettricisti americani. E un giovane simpatico ed attivo, molto gentile, molto attivo, e un po’fanfarone. Ha un mania per le collezioni.

Now that I’ve given you a few impressions of the city. I’ll tell you how I’ve spent my time. The day after disembarking we went to the hotel, and afterward we did a tour around the city and during this tour [I was irritated to realize that I lost the key to my trunk?].

The next day Professor Ferraris and I were looking for a certain Mr. Hammer, Vice President of the Society of American Electrical Engineers. He is a nice young man, kind and active, very kind and very active and a little bit of a [big talker?]. He has a passion for collections.

June 19, 2011

La grande fortuna di New York fu l’esser essa provveduta del piu bello grande e sicuro porto naturale del mondo formato dall’estuario dell’Hudson River e comeche il numero delle navi che stazione in questo porto sia molto grande, esso e minimo in confronto della capacita dei vari bacini d’approdo.

The great good fortune of New York was for it to be [provisionally?] one of the biggest and most secure natural ports in the world, formed from the estuary of the Hudson River, and even though the number of ships stationed in this port is very large, its minimal compared to the capacity of the river landings.

June 15, 2011

Altri di questi battelli fanno servizio fra New York e Brooklyn, grossa citta di un milione di abitanti situata su di un altra isola (Long Island) all’est di New York. Questa citta e collegata con New York anche col famoso ponte di Brooklyn, che e la piu bella opera d’arte che ho visto in America. Siccome gli alloggi a Brooklyn son men cari che a New York, molti uomini d’affari ed operai vanno a lavorare a New York di griorno e di notte a dormire a Brooklyn, onde il nome di dormitorio che si da comunemente a quest’ultima.

Other boats like this offer service between New York and Brooklyn, a big city of a million inhabitants located south [or under?] another island (Long Island), to the east of New York. This city is connected to New York by the famous Brooklyn Bridge, which is the most beautiful work of art that I’ve seen in America. Since the accommodations in Brooklyn are less expensive than in New York many business men and workers go and work in New York during the day and at night sleep in Brooklyn, [which is why the latter is commonly referred to as a dormitory].

July 14 2011

Questi sono specie di battelli a vapore assai buffi a vedersi ma molto rapidi e comodi, che fanno un ottimo servizio fra New York e New Jersey, una citta si potrebbe chiamare un sobborgo di New York ma che appartiene ad un altro stato.

These are a type of steam boat that are very odd to look at but are very fast and comfortable, that are a great service between New York and New Jersey, as city that one could call a suburb of New York but is part of another state.

July 13, 2011

I mezzi di locomozione a New York sono ottimi e son in generale costituiti da ferrovie aeree nelle avenues e da tramways elettrici o funicolari o a cavalli. Pochissime carrozze (grazie al pavimento infame) e molto care. New York e realmente un’isola ed e congiunta al continente soltanto con due ponti sull’Harlem che sono molto lontani dal centro, cosi uno dei mezzi di trasporto importanti sono i ferries.

The modes of transportation in New York are the best and are in general made up of aerial railways and tramways or funicular trains or horses. There are few carriages (thanks to the infamous pavement) and they are very expensive. New York is really an island and is connected to the mainland by only two bridges [across Harlem?] that are very far from the center, so that one of the important modes of transportation is the ferry.

July 11, 2011

Similmente le strade che vanno a sud sono distinte da numeri e si trovano parte ad est e parte ad ovest del Campidoglio.

Similarly, the streets that run south are designated by numbers and are found part to the east and part to the west of the Capitol.

Gli edifici a New York sono molto strani ed i nuovi sono enormamente alti ma punto belli. L’esser ad un piano superiore non e un inconveniented perche due o piu ascensori salgono e scendono continuamente ed e tanto invalso l’uso di essi che in alcuni edifizi vi sono, oltre ai soliti che fermano ad ogni piano, alcuni detti express che non si farmano che dall’ 8 piano in su, e cio onde far si che quelli abitano ai superiori non abbian a perder tempo nel caso vi fosser molte persone che volesser salire. Questo pero soltanto in alcuni edifici della parte commerciale della citta, ove in ciascun piano si troveranno trenta o quaranta uffici continamenta affollati.

The buildings in New York are very strange and the new ones are enormously tall but hardly beautiful. Going up to a high floor is not an inconvenience because two or more elevators are going up and coming down continuously, and it is so firmly established that they are used that in a few buildings you have some that usually stop at each floor and some that are called express that don’t stop until the eighth floor up, and [this is making waves?], that those who live on the high floors don’t have to lose time in the case that you have a lot of people who want to go up. But this is only in a few buildings in the commercial part of the city, where on each floor one finds thirty or forty offices that are always crowded.

July 7

Washington e piu facile ancora ed e formata dalla sovrapposizione di due sistemi aventi per punto di partenza entrambi il Campidoglio (sede de parlamento). L’un sistema e radiale e le strade di questo sistema portan i nomi dei principali stati dell’Unione e son dette avenudes. L’altro sistema e ortoganlae e le strade che vanno da est ad ovest portan le lettere dell’alfabeto, e siccome ve ne son due aventi la stessa notazione (l’una destra l’altra a sinistra del Campidoglio) si deve dire se e a sud o a nord.

Washington is even easier and is formed by the overlapping of two systems starting at the point of the Capitol building (the seat of the parliament). One system is radial and the streets bear the names of the principal states in the Union and are called avenues. The other system is orthogonal and the streets that run east to west bear the letters of the alphabet and since you have two sides with the same notation (one to the right and the other to the left of the Capitol) it is necessary to say if it is south or north.

July 6

Nell’ultima lettera a mamma e che tu avrai letta, dicevo che ero gia stato a fare un piccolo giro a New York tanto per farmi un’idea della citta. Questo impressione e stati cosi cosi e tanto il prof Ferraris che io dovevamo fare un sforzo per ricordarci che eravamo nel nuovo mondo, tanto la citta ci sembrava simile a quelle dell’antico. Il movimento di New York e grande, ma per nulla superiore a quello di parigi e minore di quello di Londra. Il girare New York ed in genera tutte le cita americane e la cosa piu facile del mondo, e cio in grazia della razionale disposizione delle strade. Per esempio New York pripriamente detta, cioe quella parte della citta che si trova sull’isola Manhattan (nome indiano), e divisa in due sistemi di strade ortogonali: le unde dette avenues in numero di 12 la solcano per lungo. Le altre dette streeets la solcao per largo e tutte eccetto poche della parte antica della citta hanno, invece di nomi, dei numeri cosichhe avuto il numero dell avia si puo subito farsi un idea della posizione dell’edificio che si desiderta.

In the last letter to mamma that you also have read, I was saying that I already made a little tour of New York, mostly for getting my own idea of the city. This impression was so, so and so Professor Ferraris and I were having to make an effort to remember that we were in the new world, so much did the city resemble those of the old world. The movement of New York is big, but nothing more superior to Paris, and lesser than that of London. Getting around in New York, and in general in all the American cities, is the easiest thing in the world, thanks to the rational [lay out?] of the streets. For example, New York really means that part of the city found on the Island of Manhattan (an indian name), and it is divided in two orthoganal systems of streets: The ones called avenues number 12 and run the length. The others called streets and run across and except for a few in the old part of the city, they have, instead of names, numbers so that if one has [the address?], one can immidiately get an idea of the location of the building desired.

Introduction

Right before leaving for Ivrea, I picked up my copy of Lettere Americane, which, for years now, I've thought on and off about trying to translate. It had been a long time since I spoke or wrote in Italian and all that text was overwhelming. I was about to put the book down, and once and for all, forget about it. But then I accidentally flipped to the page in which Camillo writes about his arrival in Palo Alto in 1893. The coincidence of Camillo having spent six months in Palo Alto 218 years ago combined with actually reading his words about biking down to Lick Observatory, and seeing other local landmarks, felt too big to blow off. So here we go. For anyone who is inclined to follow the progress of the project, have patience! I'll only be able to do a little bit at a time, and the little bit I do may be very rough. So I invite anyone who's following, who knows Italian, to participate in the translation--the more people who are reading the progress, the better the translation will be, I hope.