Difficulties in Translating
by Some of the difficulties in keeping to the style of the original text are examined here
If the book has to be edited after its is translated, one way of getting through that is by agreeing with the editor and then doing the minimal amount. It is pointless for the translator to worry too much about what the editor will say especially when faced with someone who will question every word of a translated text. One particularly humorous situation occurred with the past of go, relating a cat moving from outside a coach to its interior as ‘the cat went in the coach’. That phrase may be taken as the animal having pissed there, in one English version and not another. Look at an American definition and went is just the past of go. But the editor might still question the past form of go because of its ‘dual’ sense. How else does the translator express the fact of the cat having been transported in a vehicle while respecting the form of the language? In any case after some bargaining or arguing the editor will usually agree with the translated version. Then the translator will know if it’s worth his while to continue collaborating with a publisher who uses an overly contentious editor.
Liked it
