Translation: How Much Talent Required?

-- End Ad Box --->«smooth». Only really gifted translators are
People generally tend to believe that translation iscapable of finding this balance.
merely the mechanical replacement of languages,This is particularly true when it comes to the
and therefore anybody can be a translator if hetranslation of imaginative literature, especially the
she happens to know a foreign language.works of the finest classics, such as Leo Tolstoy,
This is absolutely wrong! Knowledge of foreignWilliam Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes or
languages is no guarantee that a translation will beDante Alighieri. The works of such giants can only
rendered fairly well. The skill of translating is tobe translated by those who have the taste for
make the right interpretation of the meaning inand profound knowledge of fine literature, being
the target language. Therefore, a translator shouldthe very best and most talented translators who
understand the gist of the subject besides havingare in command of «translation aerobatics».
good knowledge of a language, including grammar,However, this level is unreachable for most
syntax, and spelling rules.translators. Being aware of that, Vladimir
So a good knowledge of the subject of aNabokov, for instance, trusted no one for
translation is part and parcel of the translationtranslating his literary work and did it himself. The
process. A skilled translator, however, hasworks of contemporary authors, such as
something else! It is his talent.Frederick Forsyth or Isabel Alliende, Umberto Eco
And now we are approaching the greatestor Patric Zuskind, also require an in-depth
challenge of a translation: how to find the properunderstanding if they are to be rendered well.
balance between delivering the sense and beautyLikewise, technical translations require additional
of the initial text and making the target translationskills and knowledge.