Can document translation actually be a form of “forensic translation?” In German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s commentary, The Task of the Translator, he suggests that quality translation comes with an intense pressure for the translated materials to be so good that “to some degree, all great texts contain their potential translation between the lines.” However, a growing pool of people (translators and non-translators) believes the ultimate goal of a translation is to actually be better than the original text. Is that possible, especially in an era in which author John Ciardi says translation is “the art of failure”?
It depends on what you define as better. For example, translation trumps original documents only in that it provides more access. Without translation, we would have no Proust, no religious texts, no Nabokov. It is dangerous to assume that anything worth reading is translated into English — or the language of your choosing.
The reality is that what gets translated into any language is a sliver of what is available, and the people making the decisions on what gets translated likely have power and money, but not necessarily the skills or ability to judge the text’s worth. Sadly, this means it is likely that you will never have the ability to read what has potential to be your most-loved book.
Access Defines Superiority
Texts chosen to be translated more often are considered more worthy, when in fact they are just more accessible. It is the job of a translator to optimize information availability, then stage it so it produces a desired effect in the new landscape. For example, let’s say there is a funny quip about elephants in Korea. You cannot translate it into English by simply writing a sentence about elephants. It must be funny, and the translation of humor is challenging at best. A genius translator does not often moonlight as a comedian, which is why style is so difficult.
Many times, the stylistic ingenuity is lost in translation. Translation itself is like the theater, because it uses someone else’s words (the playwright’s) and forces them through the actor’s mouth. Translation is competitive at times, with numerous interpretations available of a single book (Beowulf, anyone?). Yet, the assumption lingers that “the original is always better,” even though people who say this often have zero experience.
The Power of Words
Translators come in all types. Some are like actors, peppering a lot of their personality into the work. Poet Charles Simic dubs translation as “an actor’s medium” because he sees it as an opportunity to make the work their own. Then you have the method actors who let the role swallow them. In this simile, we encounter the translator who aches over a single choice or word or Oxford comma in order to honor the original author.
Choosing a translator is like selecting the lead in a Broadway play. Every one is different, and brings something unique to the table. Verbatim Solutions is a leading provider of translation and localization services. If you need documents translated quickly and accurately, call Verbatim.
