Here is a comparison of the three translations of the beginning of "Dead Souls":
Translator 1: D. J. Hogarth
Translators 2: Pevear & Volokhonsky
Translator 3: Robert A. Maguire
В ворота гостиницы губернского города NN въехала довольно красивая рессорная небольшая бричка, в какой ездят холостяки: отставные подполковники, штабс-капитаны, помещики, имеющие около сотни душ крестьян, — словом, все те, которых называют господами средней руки.
To the door of an inn in the provincial town of N. there drew up a smart britchka—a light spring-carriage of the sort affected by bachelors, retired lieutenant-colonels, staff-captains, land-owners possessed of about a hundred souls, and, in short, all persons who rank as gentlemen of the intermediate category.
Through the gates of the inn in the provincial town of N. drove a rather handsome, smallish spring britzka, of the sort driven around in by bachelors: retired lieutenant colonels, staff captains, landowners possessed of some hundred peasant souls—in short, all those known as gentlemen of the middling sort.
Through the gate of a hostelry in a provincial capital that will remain nameless rolled a small, rather handsome britska on springs, of the kind in which bachelors travel: retired lieutenant-colonels, staff-captains, landowners possessing a hundred or so peasant souls – in a word, all those who are known as gentlemen of the middling sort.
В бричке сидел господин, не красавец, но и не дурной наружности, ни слишком толст, ни слишком тонок; нельзя сказать, чтобы стар, однако ж и не так чтобы слишком молод.
In the britchka was seated such a gentleman—a man who, though not handsome, was not ill-favoured, not over-fat, and not over-thin. Also, though not over-elderly, he was not over-young.
In the britzka sat a gentleman, not handsome, but also not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; you could not have said he was old, yet neither was he all that young.
Seated in the britska was a gentleman – not good looking, but not uncomely in appearance either, not overly fat, nor overly thin. You couldn’t say that he was old, yet you could not say he was overly young either.
Въезд его не произвел в городе совершенно никакого шума и не был сопровожден ничем особенным; только два русские мужика, стоявшие у дверей кабака против гостиницы, сделали кое-какие замечания, относившиеся, впрочем, более к экипажу, чем к сидевшему в нем.
His arrival produced no stir in the town, and was accompanied by no particular incident, beyond that a couple of peasants who happened to be standing at the door of a dramshop exchanged a few comments with reference to the equipage rather than to the individual who was seated in it.
His entrance caused no stir whatever in town and was accompanied by nothing special; only two Russian muzhiks standing by the door of the pot-house across from the inn made some remarks, which referred, however, more to the vehicle than to the person sitting in it.
His arrival created no stir whatever in the town, and was not accompanied by anything out of the ordinary. Except that two Russian muzhiks standing by the door of the pothouse opposite the hostelry made a few remarks, which, however, had more to do with the vehicle than with the person seated in it.
«Вишь ты, — сказал один другому, — вон какое колесо! что ты думаешь, доедет то колесо, если б случилось, в Москву или не доедет?» —
“Look at that carriage,” one of them said to the other. “Think you it will be going as far as Moscow?”
“See that?” said the one to the other, “there’s a wheel for you! What do you say, would that wheel make it as far as Moscow, if it so happened, or wouldn’t it?”
‘Hey,’ said one to the other, ‘look at that there wheel! You think that wheel could make it as far as Moscow if it had to, or couldn’t it?’
«Доедет», — отвечал другой. «А в Казань-то, я думаю, не доедет?» — «В Казань не доедет», — отвечал другой.
“I think it will,” replied his companion. “But not as far as Kazan, eh?” “No, not as far as Kazan.”
“It would,” replied the other. “But not as far as Kazan I don’t suppose?” “Not as far as Kazan,” replied the other.
‘It could,’ replied the other. ‘But not as far as Kazan, I bet?’ ‘Not as far as Kazan it couldn’t,’ replied the other.
Этим разговор и кончился. Да еще, когда бричка подъехала к гостинице, встретился молодой человек в белых канифасовых панталонах, весьма узких и коротких, во фраке с покушеньями на моду, из-под которого видна была манишка, застегнутая тульскою булавкою с бронзовым пистолетом.
With that the conversation ended. Presently, as the britchka was approaching the inn, it was met by a young man in a pair of very short, very tight breeches of white dimity, a quasi-fashionable frockcoat, and a dickey fastened with a pistol-shaped bronze tie-pin.
And with that the conversation ended. Then, as the britzka drove up to the inn, it met with a young man in white twill trousers, quite narrow and short, and a tailcoat with presumptions to fashion, under which could be seen a shirtfront fastened with a Tula-made pin shaped like a bronze pistol.
With that the conversation ended. And then, as the britska drew up to the hostelry, it encountered a young man in white duck pantaloons that were very tight and short, and a tail-coat that strove for stylishness, beneath which could be seen a shirt-front fastened with a Tula pin in the shape of a bronze pistol.
Молодой человек оборотился назад, посмотрел экипаж, придержал рукою картуз, чуть не слетевший от ветра, и пошел своей дорогой.
The young man turned his head as he passed the britchka and eyed it attentively; after which he clapped his hand to his cap (which was in danger of being removed by the wind) and resumed his way.
The young man turned around, looked at the carriage, held his hand to his peaked cap, which was almost blown off by the wind, and went on his way.
The young man turned round, looked at the vehicle, clapped a hand to his cap, which had nearly been blown off by the wind, and went his way.
by horigen