Translating in the Dark: New York Review of Books
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/nov/30/translating-dark/
This brings us to a paradox at the heart of translation: the text we take as inspiration is also the greatest obstacle to expression. Our own language prompts us in one direction, but the text we are trying to respect says something else, or says the same thing in a way that feels very different.
Comments
Something is lost indeed when you translate anything. Languages are different in many aspects. But translating is still a worthwhile cause to fight for, if we want to have intercultural communication.
Yorbie, December 2, 2011, 3:03p.m.