Daphne Aben-Athar Kipman

If we were to translate this Italian expression, it would be:

TRANSLATOR, TRAITOR.

 

I work as a translator and there is no doubt in my mind that this expression is absolutely correct.

 

Every translation has its faults and never will it be as good as the original text.

 

I first learned this during my University years studying History. Reading several books translated into Portuguese whose translators, for the most part, were not Historians themselves. Often times they failed to use consecrated terms in historiography simply because they did not know them.

 

While working for almost four years at a bookstore called Livraria Cultura, I always encouraged people to read the books in the original language, for when you read something that was translated you will not notice the nuances of style particular to the author. Words in literature are like the artist’s choice of brush and colors, selected especially for that work of art in order to generate a specific reaction on the observer. It is obvious that when translating a text, part of this gets lost in translation.

 

Unfortunately, for several reasons, we are not able to read everything in its original format, and without translations, we would miss out on getting to know several interesting subjects throughout the world. Translators have become extremely necessary in our globalized world.

 

I decided to become a translator because I grew tired of reading these poor translations and thinking “even though I am not a translator, I would have done a much better job”.

 

Well, now I am a professional translator, and I always do my best to keep the translation as close as possible in style and meaning to the original.