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The Craft of Translation
Written by some of the most distinguished literary translators working in English today, these essays offer new and uncommon insights into the understanding and craft of translation. The contributors not only describe the complexity of translating literature but also suggest the implications of the act of translation for critics, scholars, teachers, and students. The demands of translation, according to these writers, require both comprehensive scholarship in preparing to translate a text and broad creativity in recreating the text in a new language. Translation, thus, becomes a model for the most exacting reading and the most serious scholarship.
Some of the contributors lay bare the rigorous methods of literary translation in comparisons of various translations of the same piece; some discuss the problems of translating a specific passage; others speak about the lessons learned over the course of a career in translation. As these essays make clear, translators work in the space between languages and, in so doing, provide insights into the ways in which a culture makes the world verbal. Exemplary readers both of authors and of their individual works, the translators represented in this collection demonstrate that the methodologies derived from the art and craft of translation can serve as a model to revitalize the interpretation and understanding of literary works.
Readers will find the opportunity to look over the shoulders of the translators gathered together in this volume an exciting and surprising experience. The act of translation emerges both as a powerful integration of linguistic, semantic, cultural, and historical thinking and as a valuable commentary on how we communicate both within a culture and from one culture to another.
Some of the contributors lay bare the rigorous methods of literary translation in comparisons of various translations of the same piece; some discuss the problems of translating a specific passage; others speak about the lessons learned over the course of a career in translation. As these essays make clear, translators work in the space between languages and, in so doing, provide insights into the ways in which a culture makes the world verbal. Exemplary readers both of authors and of their individual works, the translators represented in this collection demonstrate that the methodologies derived from the art and craft of translation can serve as a model to revitalize the interpretation and understanding of literary works.
Readers will find the opportunity to look over the shoulders of the translators gathered together in this volume an exciting and surprising experience. The act of translation emerges both as a powerful integration of linguistic, semantic, cultural, and historical thinking and as a valuable commentary on how we communicate both within a culture and from one culture to another.
170 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 14, 2024
I doubt many general readers would appreciate this collection of nine essays on the craft of literary translation (ten, actually, if you count the editors' introduction, itself an interesting, informative little article about the art of translation).
Indeed, this book seems geared for college students, translators, or those whose work it is to review and critique literary translations. As such, the essays often read very much like college theses. Compounding this overly formal, somewhat uninviting, style is the fact that the book was published in 1989 (although it reads as if it could have been written in the 1950s).
Then there is the fact that some of the essays are nearly impossible to appreciate without a working knowledge of the source language (often French, although Spanish, German, old and middle English, Italian, others are employed by various contributors).
Still, a more general reader with a keen interest in translation and/or translated literature might find nuggets of interest.
To illustrate, here are a few examples of statements that caught my eye:
"All translators agree that the perfect translation remains an impossibility." (p. vii)
"Thus, translation is a process of choice and, consequently, never a finished process." (viii)
"Reading is already translation, and translation is translation for the second time..." (ix)
"The words of the original are only the starting point; a translator must do more than convey information..." (x)
"An exact equivalence from one language to another will never be possible." (xiii)
"The translator's first and foremost concern, then, must be the continuous involvement in experiencing and defining the boundaries of meanings and associations surrounding each word." (xiii)
"Wishful thinking and early training in arithmetic have convinced a majority of people that there are such things as equals in the world." (p. 1)
"The skill of the translator lies in the use of instinct..." (7)
"The fact is that there is a kind of continental drift that slowly works on language as words wander away from their original spot in the lexicon and suffer the accretion of subtle new nuances, which (...) result from distortions brought about by time and the events that people it. The choice made by an earlier translator, then, no longer obtains and we must choose again." (8)
"Translation is a disturbing craft because there is precious little certainty about what we are doing, which makes it so difficult in this age of fervent belief and ideology, this age of greed and screed." (12)
"The translator cannot afford to be any more modest than the original author was—though he must necessarily be a great deal more careful. Indeed, it has been my experience that translators with an excess of modesty are usually, perhaps even always, translators of poor quality." (35)
"The translator cannot fully take his modern reader back into the fourteenth century. He is a translator, neither a science-fiction mechanic working a poetic time machine nor a a scholar whose consistent focus necessarily is the fourteenth rather than the twentieth century. But he must be consistently a responsible translator, with his eye forever on his reader's needs." (43)
"The translator's task, uncomfortable and perhaps untenable, is to emerge somehow with as much as is capturable in today's English—which is all he has to work with." (44)
"If the translator of a poem is not himself a competent poet, plainly he ought not attempt to translate a poem." (50)
"Some would say that translation, far from being a betrayal, is in fact a salvation, bringing to the translated text the kind of long life it could not possibly have in the original alone, especially when the original is an obscure language." (54)
"[I believe that] ...translation is a movable feast that must initially serve the taste of its particular day and then be prepared to change in keeping with the taste of another day, and second, that any single translation of a text is by definition an incomplete and somewhat distorted image of the original, there must always be room for retouching and sharpening that image as new taste and new perceptions may indicate." (63)
"... I think it [translation] is an art, though a very modest minor one, since it requires constant choice by the translator among the author's values and devices as he seeks to recapture them in his own language and finds he can rarely if ever recapture them at all." (70)
"One habit of some translators really bewilders me: their refusal to translate things they know their author is saying." (82)
"Because there are no rules [regarding translation], no laws, there cannot be an absolute right or an absolute wrong. There can be errors (and even the most experienced translator has an occasional mishap); there can be lapses in tone. The worst mistake a translator can commit is to reassure himself by saying, 'that's what it says in the original,' and renouncing the struggle to do his best." (117)
Indeed, this book seems geared for college students, translators, or those whose work it is to review and critique literary translations. As such, the essays often read very much like college theses. Compounding this overly formal, somewhat uninviting, style is the fact that the book was published in 1989 (although it reads as if it could have been written in the 1950s).
Then there is the fact that some of the essays are nearly impossible to appreciate without a working knowledge of the source language (often French, although Spanish, German, old and middle English, Italian, others are employed by various contributors).
Still, a more general reader with a keen interest in translation and/or translated literature might find nuggets of interest.
To illustrate, here are a few examples of statements that caught my eye:
"All translators agree that the perfect translation remains an impossibility." (p. vii)
"Thus, translation is a process of choice and, consequently, never a finished process." (viii)
"Reading is already translation, and translation is translation for the second time..." (ix)
"The words of the original are only the starting point; a translator must do more than convey information..." (x)
"An exact equivalence from one language to another will never be possible." (xiii)
"The translator's first and foremost concern, then, must be the continuous involvement in experiencing and defining the boundaries of meanings and associations surrounding each word." (xiii)
"Wishful thinking and early training in arithmetic have convinced a majority of people that there are such things as equals in the world." (p. 1)
"The skill of the translator lies in the use of instinct..." (7)
"The fact is that there is a kind of continental drift that slowly works on language as words wander away from their original spot in the lexicon and suffer the accretion of subtle new nuances, which (...) result from distortions brought about by time and the events that people it. The choice made by an earlier translator, then, no longer obtains and we must choose again." (8)
"Translation is a disturbing craft because there is precious little certainty about what we are doing, which makes it so difficult in this age of fervent belief and ideology, this age of greed and screed." (12)
"The translator cannot afford to be any more modest than the original author was—though he must necessarily be a great deal more careful. Indeed, it has been my experience that translators with an excess of modesty are usually, perhaps even always, translators of poor quality." (35)
"The translator cannot fully take his modern reader back into the fourteenth century. He is a translator, neither a science-fiction mechanic working a poetic time machine nor a a scholar whose consistent focus necessarily is the fourteenth rather than the twentieth century. But he must be consistently a responsible translator, with his eye forever on his reader's needs." (43)
"The translator's task, uncomfortable and perhaps untenable, is to emerge somehow with as much as is capturable in today's English—which is all he has to work with." (44)
"If the translator of a poem is not himself a competent poet, plainly he ought not attempt to translate a poem." (50)
"Some would say that translation, far from being a betrayal, is in fact a salvation, bringing to the translated text the kind of long life it could not possibly have in the original alone, especially when the original is an obscure language." (54)
"[I believe that] ...translation is a movable feast that must initially serve the taste of its particular day and then be prepared to change in keeping with the taste of another day, and second, that any single translation of a text is by definition an incomplete and somewhat distorted image of the original, there must always be room for retouching and sharpening that image as new taste and new perceptions may indicate." (63)
"... I think it [translation] is an art, though a very modest minor one, since it requires constant choice by the translator among the author's values and devices as he seeks to recapture them in his own language and finds he can rarely if ever recapture them at all." (70)
"One habit of some translators really bewilders me: their refusal to translate things they know their author is saying." (82)
"Because there are no rules [regarding translation], no laws, there cannot be an absolute right or an absolute wrong. There can be errors (and even the most experienced translator has an occasional mishap); there can be lapses in tone. The worst mistake a translator can commit is to reassure himself by saying, 'that's what it says in the original,' and renouncing the struggle to do his best." (117)
April 7, 2023
first theory type book I’ve willingly read on my own. I don’t think I could do anything longer than this, under those circumstances, so I am thankful that this book pushed my boundaries right to where I think they needed to be. would recommend this to anyone who is learning a language or who is interested in the thought processes that go into translating a work of art.
an excellent collection of 9 essays about translation/translating to English, accompanied by a STELLAR introduction. if I were a college professor, I would assign that intro for students. I think I probably got the most out of the essays about English/Spanish translation just since those are the main languages I study/speak lol. also quite an impressive range of author-translators who have historically changed the way that different authors are understood in the English-speaking words (Gregory Rabassa! García Márquez’s translator). I appreciate the specificity with which translators write but also found that there was one or two authors in here who used this approach but also while assuming that I already had a working knowledge of the language they were translating from, which makes for semi-inaccessible writing. On the other hand, the final essay that focused on German and Japanese was easier to understand linguistically (altho sometimes still a bit jumbled) because the author, Edward Seidensticker, is very effective at building up a clear and convincing argument. I have basically no understanding of either language but I felt like this was easier to follow than some of the other essays. The Italian essay was sooooo good and fun to read. I also liked the historical focus in “Ziv, That Light” and thought this really reinforced the decisions made within the translation. Some authors are more or less successful at writing clearly and I might just not be their target audience too.
in conclusion: “translation…is forever impossible and forever necessary.” now I also wish desperately that I could speak every language ever and have this be my job too. HOW FUN! this nitty gritty word stuff is so interesting to me and I wonder how my approach and ethos would develop over time if I did see this sort of thing thru.
an excellent collection of 9 essays about translation/translating to English, accompanied by a STELLAR introduction. if I were a college professor, I would assign that intro for students. I think I probably got the most out of the essays about English/Spanish translation just since those are the main languages I study/speak lol. also quite an impressive range of author-translators who have historically changed the way that different authors are understood in the English-speaking words (Gregory Rabassa! García Márquez’s translator). I appreciate the specificity with which translators write but also found that there was one or two authors in here who used this approach but also while assuming that I already had a working knowledge of the language they were translating from, which makes for semi-inaccessible writing. On the other hand, the final essay that focused on German and Japanese was easier to understand linguistically (altho sometimes still a bit jumbled) because the author, Edward Seidensticker, is very effective at building up a clear and convincing argument. I have basically no understanding of either language but I felt like this was easier to follow than some of the other essays. The Italian essay was sooooo good and fun to read. I also liked the historical focus in “Ziv, That Light” and thought this really reinforced the decisions made within the translation. Some authors are more or less successful at writing clearly and I might just not be their target audience too.
in conclusion: “translation…is forever impossible and forever necessary.” now I also wish desperately that I could speak every language ever and have this be my job too. HOW FUN! this nitty gritty word stuff is so interesting to me and I wonder how my approach and ethos would develop over time if I did see this sort of thing thru.
December 8, 2024
يستعرض بيغينيت وشولتي مختلف نهج الترجمة، مثل الترجمة الحرفية، التكييف، والتوطين، ويقدمان رؤى في عمليات اتخاذ القرارات التي يجب على المترجمين القيام بها. الكتاب أيضاً يبحث في دور المترجم كوسيط بين اللغات والثقافات، مشدداً على أهمية الحفاظ على ولاء النص الأصلي مع جعله في متناول القراء في لغة أخرى.
من خلال الأمثلة من مجموعة واسعة من الأعمال الأدبية، يوضح المؤلفان كيف يمكن أن تؤثر استراتيجيات الترجمة المختلفة في المنتج النهائي. كما يتناولون الأسئلة الأخلاقية والفلسفية التي تنشأ في الترجمة، مثل مسألة الولاء، قابلية الترجمة، ومسؤولية المترجم تجاه النص الأصلي والجمهور المستهدف. "الحرفة في الترجمة" هو مصدر قيم للمترجمين الجدد والمتمرسين، حيث يقدم نصائح عملية وفهم أعمق للتحديات المعقدة التي تواجه الترجمة الأدبية والنصوص الأخرى."
من خلال الأمثلة من مجموعة واسعة من الأعمال الأدبية، يوضح المؤلفان كيف يمكن أن تؤثر استراتيجيات الترجمة المختلفة في المنتج النهائي. كما يتناولون الأسئلة الأخلاقية والفلسفية التي تنشأ في الترجمة، مثل مسألة الولاء، قابلية الترجمة، ومسؤولية المترجم تجاه النص الأصلي والجمهور المستهدف. "الحرفة في الترجمة" هو مصدر قيم للمترجمين الجدد والمتمرسين، حيث يقدم نصائح عملية وفهم أعمق للتحديات المعقدة التي تواجه الترجمة الأدبية والنصوص الأخرى."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2025
jesus god it took me a while to finish this one. anyways fun read this books has reminded me of what i’m truly passionate about and has in part motivated me to get my teaching licensure so i can teach. and stuff
March 24, 2018
3.5 overall
June 29, 2021
As with any academic work made up of essays from different people, the book is not consistent in interest or accessibility.
November 14, 2007
It's an ample book of perspectives on translations for teaching a translation class, but there's a lot missing that would require supplement. Also a good read for someone just interested in translating and the theories behind the craft.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews