I just learned that Cinderella’s glass slipper was made out of fur. That is, in the French. The word was mistranslated in an early version (Phin, Seven Follies, p. 208). And that leads me to believe that mistranslation, intentional or un-, can often be the cause of really wonderful things. How much more poetic, more heartbreaking, more magical is it that her slipper became more than just a fur-covered item, but one of delicate, dangerous, utterly unique glass. Half the […]

Categories: Translation • Tags: Cinderella, fairytale, French, mistranslation