Translation and Translators
In the income hierarchy, translators are somewhat below non-unionised MacDonald’s workers.
In the academic hierarchy, they don’t figure at all. In reality, many of the authors of academic and important works are actually the translators. Was God a translator? No. How many people read the Bible in the language it was originally written? Very few.
Moreover, translated texts are often considerably different from the original. So, when people read the Bible they are not reading the words of God, but the words of the translator. Of course, many would dispute this point. But it is a fact that the translations of religious and academic texts are often better than the original; of course, they can also be worse. This does not only concern translated texts, but also edited texts.
In the world of music, ‘translation’ or ‘transformation’ is the name of the game, and it is usually the transformations that gain more recognition.
In the world of literature, this is also the case. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are actually translations, or a combination of editing, rewriting and translation.
As mentioned, translations of texts, such as academic and historical texts, are often better than the original. This can be due to the translator’s linguistic competence in relation to the original author, but also due to the translator’s better understanding of the subject. Of course, the translator is limited in the stylistic and content changes he/she can make with regard to the original. Thus, a translator of “Mein Kampff” can’t say something like: “some people believe that the Jews are the root of all the problems in the world, but this has not been proven.” Similarly, a translator of the Bible, when translating Paul, Romans 13:1-7, that one should always obey a ruler because they have been appointed by God cannot include an addendum saying that this is only if the ruler is in reality not appointed by the devil, and carries out heinous acts against his people.
But to get back to the point I was trying to make – translation is an artistic and academic activity, as important as any other. Consequently, I will add a number of my translations here, as they deserve to be treated as artistic and academic creations.
Copyright
Moreover, translated texts are owned by the translator, and can be posted/published freely without the permission of the original owner.