Friday, November 27, 2009

Going International


For those who may have doubted my fame and impact on the world, I'm pleased to announce the release this week of "When Thunder Rolled" in hardcopy in Finland!

Thunder Goes to Finland--Great Cover, Too Many Vowels!

The only connection I've been able to deduce with regard to a Finnish language edition of the book is that the spelling of my last name is a typical Finnish spelling. A Google search or checking Amazon publications will show my books along with a half dozen or more professional texts by Finns.

I can only assume that some eager editor or publishing scout saw the book, the author and assumed a local boy had made good. Regardless, I welcome the new audience.

6 comments:

jjet said...

User "juvat"

Who are you?

Drop me a line?

James W. "Tex" Ritter
Juvat 1977-1978
jjet@bigfoot.com

Anonymous said...

Congratulations.

Here's the publisher's description rendered into English:

"Ed Rasimus
Thunder thunder - Thunder Chief-pilot in Vietnam

"Ed Rasimus will sweep the reader says F-105 Thunder Chief hävittäjäpommittajan kerosene and ruudinkatkuiseen the cockpit of North Vietnam in the sky. Rasimuksen was to perform the MiG fighters swoop low before the terrible air defense tuhovoimaisen acquired. The task is to destroy the enemy's ability to wage war within the limits of the United States Government. Rasimuksella is fifty percent chance to return to their home country alive.

"Between 1965 and 1968 in Southeast Asia, lost more than 330 F-105 aircraft. The wrong strategy and tactics led to a disastrous U.S. Air Force pilots, roll over the loss of pepper, wounded and in contact with prisoners of war. Rasimus does not mince his words in describing their leadership decades ago with errors, which paid the price for young soldiers.
Ed Rasimus openly describe their experiences of war, fear of death, honor and father of the country. He survived without a scratch hundred of North Vietnam, carried out the role, which lukeutui war with the most dangerous military flights. He tells a vivid air battles, and fears about how a young pilot, became the fighting kangistamasta hardened by an experienced man. Rasimus was always the focus of the fighting, and his powerful narratives of this book will make the best of the air war in Vietnam, written memoirs. Thunder thunder is also a tribute to those who survived and the epitaph alive for those who paid the highest price."

Source:

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fkoalakustannus.fi%2Fkirjat%2Fkirja.php%3Fid_prd%3D143&sl=fi&tl=en

Ed Rasimus said...

I suspect that the translation actually reads a bit more fluidly than that computer generated attempt. It does serve to demonstrate the marginal state of a complex art in computers.

I had extensive correspondence with the translater who is very fluent in English and knowledgeable about tactical aircraft operations, so I've quite comfortable that he has done a readable and accurate interpretation.

Mikko Pietilä said...

Ed, you are being too modest. Any speculation with your possible Finnish roots was never a factor as far as I know.

Originally I proposed the idea of translating the book to the publisher pretty soon after WTR was published simply because it happened to be the best book about flying jet fighters I have read.


Mikko Pietilä

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Been reading the Finnish translation of Ed's book. This has been an eye opening experience regarding the F-105:
there is a raw, no-nonsense beauty in Thunderchiefs and Ed's text does a justice to this often overlooked workhorse of 60's and 70's.

Pietilä's translation uses nicely Finnish forces terminology (familiar to a typical Finnish reader) without overdoing it - this is important as there are acronyms and terms that are best left in their original English form.

n.b.
translation engines dont work well with a hihgly inflected languages like Finnish.