Questions tagged [translation]

Questions about translations of works, including how meanings and word choice differ in different languages, and the impact and reasoning of different translations.

While works of literature are normally written in just one language, they are often translated into many others. When translating a work, specific word choices can change the meaning of sentences, and it is often important to preserve the author's original intent. Additionally, there may be interesting reasoning behind the decisions to translate or not translate a work into a certain language, or to keep part of the text in the original language.

Questions using this tag can focus on any of the above issues or on something else related to translations of literature. It is useful for questions to be scoped as specifically as possible: translation is a broad field! This may mean only asking about translation from a particular language (in which case use for that language) or focusing on a specific work (in which case use standard tags for that work; see How do I tag questions properly?).

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Translation: Why are parts of the original language kept?

Inspired by this question. In many translated works (the first to come to mind are translations by Richard Pevear and the English versions of Isaac Bashevis Singer's writings) there are elements of the original language which is kept, while the bulk…
NoahM
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What are the challenges in translating a work of literature?

I'm currently in the process of reading Cyrano de Bergerac (translated by Charles Renauld). There, an introduction is made by Adolphe Cohn, said to be the Professor of the Romance languages and Literatures in Columbia University. You can find a copy…
Conor O'Brien
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For works translated by the original author, how common is it for additional translations to exist? What might these translation add?

Sorley MacLean was a Scottish poet who worked in Gaelic. This was the language of his poem, Hallaig, about the Highland clearances and how time changes our perception of history. However, he also provided an English translation. Here are the opening…
Matt Thrower
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How can I find out who translated a book on Project Gutenberg?

There's a translation error in Project Gutenberg's English-language version of The Count of Monte Cristo. I'd like to know whose translation was being used which contained this mistake. But in the Project Gutenberg text I can't find the name of the…
Rand al'Thor
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Do authors who translate their own works tend to do accurate translations?

Closely related: Accuracy of a translation: how to forge an opinion? Several authors, such as Samuel Beckett, periodically translated their own works. Are their translations generally regarded as accurate? Do people tend to find them more - or less…
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Does a translation editor need to know the language of the source document?

If an editor is editing a translated work, does he need to know the language of the original source document? The editor is in contact with the client and can therefore ask him questions if something isn’t clear. So does the editor really need any…
theyuv
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How do I choose between a French translation and an English translation of a work written in a language that I cannot read?

Disclaimer: I have asked this question on both French and English Stack Exchange sites, and they both recommended that I ask it here instead. I hope it is on-topic, and apologize if it is not. I can read in English and in French, enjoy reading…
Clément
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How can a reader know the quality of a translation?

This question asks about the choice of a word and seems to be in the context of assessing the quality of translations. However, to make assessments of the form suggested by the question. One must have a grasp of the original language. However, often…
Benjamin
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Are some works of literature almost impossible to translate correctly?

I often read that some things are very difficult to translate without losing significant meaning. For instance, many Muslims say that the Koran can be understood only in the original Arabic: Translating the Quran has always been problematic and…
Ray Butterworth
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How does one go about translating into English a foreign language book that has been poorly translated before?

Years ago I came across a marvelous book that was just published in Russian. The book was full of humor as well as deep observations about human nature and politics. The book quickly became quite famous among Russian speakers; people would often…
Michael
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Why do authors present originals as translations?

I read the following passage in the book Is that a Fish in Your Ear?, and the part about originals presented as translations got me wondering why authors do this: Are readers in fact able to distinguish, by the taste on their linguistic and…
CDR
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Since so many books are translated into so many languages

...how can one be sure the translation is correct unless one speaks that language? Prime example: The Bible. This book (for the purpose of keeping religious arguments nonexistent here, its a piece of literature), and other writings convey the same…
SchoNuff
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When authors write a single work in multiple languages or translate their own work, how can we determine which version is definitive?

As established in the question, Do authors who translate their own works tend to do accurate translations?, authors who translate their work often emphasize different elements and they do not always give the most 'accurate' translation, from a…
Benjamin
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Spanish translation of Adversity Quotient?

I was reading the book Adversity Quotient by Dr. Paul G. Stoltz and I would like to make a gift with that book to someone, but that person is not fluent in English (they're a Spanish citizen). Is there any translation of this book into Spanish? I've…
Buda Gavril
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