{"id":15857,"date":"2021-04-09T14:02:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T12:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stadtsprachen.de\/en\/?p=15857"},"modified":"2021-04-14T12:26:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T10:26:41","slug":"the-art-and-value-of-literary-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stadtsprachen.de\/en\/the-art-and-value-of-literary-translation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art and Value of Literary Translation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>There is no doubt about the fact that reading literary works and diving into the worlds created by authors, playwrights and poets is an enriching experience, positively impacting more aspects of our lives than we might think. It can help us find ways to process and express our own emotions and allows us to glimpse at cultures and lives vastly different from our own, thus enhancing and developing our understanding of the world around us. But which role, then, does literary translation play in the world of novels, poems, and all other kinds of writing?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What would our lives be like without literature? We can only guess, of course, but it certainly is not a promising fantasy, as the literary world that humankind has created is as vast, if not even more so, than the physical world we live in. Now, if there is one thing to be thankful for, it is that the modern age we live in allows us to access texts and writings from all over the globe at any given moment, and not just texts from our contemporary world, but also those from ages and cultures past. However, there is one barrier between the reader and all the books in the world &#8211; language. Though I would love for nothing more than to be able to speak, read and write any existing language, a wish that millions of people probably share, I fear that that\u2019s a skill nobody will ever be able to acquire. Fortunately, we do not have to despair in the face of this unfortunate barrier, thanks to the art of literary translation, an art as old as literature itself.<\/p>\n<p>Translation is to literature what travelling is to humankind, allowing us entry into different times, cultures, worlds, and languages. Far from only allowing us to read nearly any book we wish to, even if we only master one language ourselves, literary translation is much more important than we might imagine at first glance.<\/p>\n<p>First and foremost, literary translations are an important part of how we develop and broaden our literary horizons. How boring would it be if we were only allowed access to those books written in our own language? Imagine all the wonderful, fantastical worlds we would miss out on! I can assure you, when it comes to choosing which books to read, straying from the given path is always an adventure worth embarking on.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, it is also important to consider the value of literary translations in the context of accessibility. How often have we heard the phrase \u2018A book that everyone should read!\u2019, whether as a review or recommendation from a teacher, a colleague, or a friend. Now, the idea behind that description would scarcely be possible without literary translations, because how can everyone read a book if it were to only exist in one single language? Consider also how enriching literary translations are for language itself. With every translation, new terms and expressions are transported from one language to another, allowing for an ever-growing diversity!<\/p>\n<p>Imagine the pressure this puts on the art of literary translations and the translators behind this enormous task. There is no doubt that this field is one of the most difficult to master among all types of translation, most of all because of the requirements inherently connected to it. Here, it is not just the transmission of content that matters; every single word must be carefully considered and chosen, just like the original author did when they first put their thoughts to paper. There is an overwhelming need to remain faithful to the tone and intent of the original text, the style and the atmosphere must be preserved. The translator must find a careful balance between creativity and rigidity, staying true to the original intent of the author but also making the text effective in another language without losing the power of it, making it sound just as effective as the original. Translation is more than just the task of finding the corresponding words in itself; the translator becomes a writer, an interpreter and so much more. After all, how can you translate a text without first establishing what the aim of its existence is or was to its original creator?<\/p>\n<p>How many times while reading a translated novel or poem might we have asked ourselves \u201cDo I not like this because of the original work? Or did something get lost in its translation?\u201d Sometimes, this can lead to being overcome by a sense of reading words never actually written by the author, which then leads to feelings of estrangement towards the whole text in general. In the face of that feeling, what we should try to remember is that a well-translated piece of literature is not about the author having said or written the exact same words we are reading on the page today, but rather the conveyance of meaning, of an idea or a style of existence.<\/p>\n<p>The beauty of language and of literature lies in its multiplicity and its transformative, world-shaping character. Conserving and sharing literature is vital to every society and to the progression of humankind. Thus, thanks to the art and the existence of literary translations, the author speaks to us through the translator, a literary connection stretching across time and space for centuries past, present, and future.<\/p>\n<p>by <a href=\"https:\/\/stadtsprachen.de\/en\/artist\/chiara-schimpe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chiara Schimpe<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is no doubt about the fact that reading literary works and diving into the worlds created by authors, playwrights and poets is an enriching experience, positively impacting more aspects of our lives than we might think. It can help us find ways to process and express our own emotions and allows us to glimpse [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":15860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Art and Value of Literary Translation - stadtsprachen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stadtsprachen.de\/de\/the-art-and-value-of-literary-translation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale:alternate\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Art and Value of Literary Translation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is no doubt about the fact that reading literary works and diving into the worlds created by authors, playwrights and poets is an enriching experience, positively impacting more aspects of our lives than we might think. 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