If the translator struggles a bit with Clif Clawson, he really did a nice job with George F Babbitt. You'll recall that Martin and Clif lunch with Babbitt in Chapter 9. Babbitt's polite, wordy, pseudo-intellectualism comes through nicely.
The translation, however, is not perfect from one aspect. This is, apparently, the translator's only introduction to Babbitt. So, when Clif calls him a "real-estate king," this is rendered as "rich man." And then, later, when Babbitt says his real talent is not as much "in real estate but in oratory," real estate in this instance is rendered as assets.
Though it could be argued the translator moved from the specific to the general in these translations, they are at least reasonable from the context available only in Arrowsmith. Those of us who know Babbitt, however, realize that he's not as much a wealthy land owner as he is a somewhat successful real estate broker. Given this broader context to which I am privy, in my edit I have updated the translation slightly in these two places.
If you're paying attention to the current US political scene, reread the beginning of Arrowsmith Chapter 9 where Babbitt discusses his political aspirations, and see if it doesn't give you a smile as you compare them to a certain real estate mogul of modern times. In fairness, though, the good Mr. Trump has already had significantly more success in both realms than Babbitt ever did.
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