What Translation Decides
Written by Studio AM.
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A translation can read so smoothly that the translator's work becomes almost invisible. That invisibility can hide difficult choices. Translators must consider not just the words but also the sound, tone, and information that readers need.
Consider the ordinary difficulties. Sound is the first casualty: a line that rhymes in one language may not rhyme when translated directly. Preserving the rhyme can require changes to wording or meaning. Politeness is the second. Some languages mark respect in the grammar itself, in verb endings a speaker cannot avoid choosing, while English must carry the same information in word choice or leave it out. A translator has to decide how much of that information to make explicit.
So a translation is not a copy but a set of decisions, and each version shows its translator's priorities as clearly as it shows the author's. This is why several translations of one book are not redundant. They are different answers to the same problem, and reading two of them tells you something no single version can: where the original was hard.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
What does the essay mainly argue about translation?
The answer is C: A translation is a set of decisions that reveal the translator's priorities.
The final paragraph states it: a translation is not a copy but a set of decisions, and each version shows what its translator chose to protect.
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Question 2 of 4
What can preserving a rhyme require?
The answer is A: Changing the wording or meaning of a line
Preserving a rhyme can require changes to wording or meaning.
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Question 3 of 4
Why does the essay say several translations of one book are not redundant?
The answer is D: Read together, they show where the original was difficult.
Different translators protect different things, so comparing versions exposes the places where the original resisted translation.
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Question 4 of 4
What does “casualty” mean in this passage?
The answer is A: something that is lost or given up
The sentence goes on to describe rhythm and rhyme disappearing, so a casualty is what the translation sacrifices.
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