Pardon My French: You Suck At This

I'm afrid this "translator" is injecting his envy and all negative attitudes into changing the author's words (which is what interests us and NOT his opinions)...... LEAVE THE WORK ALONE! you are only to translate, not to add or change text, what gall! If any of my work was changed by a translator thereby causing people's reception to change as well, I would sue! Why does he get any work at all? Is there no canons for this? (As a certified translator myself, I find his actions unlawful and most disrespectful to the author's he's "translating"- we would be fired for this)- literal translations don't work, you loose so much and don't gain the essence of the words, yet this is not longer translation, this is re-writing and should not be allowed.

Well Antinea, when translations are taking place the question always remains...do you literally translate or...do you translate the substance within the sentence.
I am sure if the Substance of the Sentences of Sagan's writings had been translated, the English reader would have known the real Francoise Sagan.

I have not read Mr Hofstadter's translation. However, I am very familiar with Francoise Sagan's work in the original since I grew up and lived in France until my mid-twentis. "Flat" dialogues, muted descriptions and blurry backgrounds are essential to F. Sagan's novels. This so-called translator's insistence on "punchy dialogue" and americanisms can only bring to mind the sad epigramme: "Traduttore, traditore". What a shame that American readers will never know the real Francoise Sagan!