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'Moby Dick' to Be Translated Using Japanese Emoticons

by Caleb Johnson on September 24, 2009 at 07:00 AM

For those of you who thought Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' was too archaic, or just too hallowed, why not give a new translation a chance? According to the Telegraph, the epic novel about a man's quest for a white whale will be translated into Emoji -- a language based on the emoticons many Japanese use when sending messages via mobile devices.

In order to accomplish this massive (and ridiculous) task, New Yorker Fred Benenson, the man with the plan, is asking the online community to donate $3,500, which will pay folks to translate the classic. If the money is raised, three for-hire editors will come up with their Emoji-fied versions of the epic novel's 6,438 sentences. Then, another group of pre-selected workers will choose the best sentences, eventually making up the final draft. And, bam, you have 'Emoji Dick'.

Yes, this is outrageous, and yes, Melville is spinning like a top in his grave right about now. [Editor's Note: Maybe not. He was all about absurdist writing, like in 'Bartleby, The Scrivener.'] Out of all the world's literature, wouldn't this tactic better suit the work of someone like Dan Brown? His fans apparently love symbols. [From: The Telegraph]

Tags: bizarre, book, emoticons, japan, language, mobydick, reading, texting, top, translation, weird

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