Terence Tunberg's translation of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas has a rather prolix title:
Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit
whose literal translation is:
How the little envious one named Grinch repealed Christmas
Two choices stand out:
- Substituting a diminutive adjective and explicit naming for the simple "Grinch"
- Changing "steal" to a more complicated legal term, "abrogo"
I'll be honest: I've always thought this was a terrible translation of the title, substituting 5 easily understood children's words (= 7 syllables) with a long-winded and difficult title of a treatise (= 24 syllables).
A more literal translation could be:
Quomodo Grinchus Christi Natalem Furatus Sit.
(= 14 syllables)
My question: Has Terence, an excellent Latinist, offered any commentary on his reasons for translating this way? What are some good reasons for opting for the longer title?