237 Quotes About Translation

what we call birth iswhen something first changes out of its former condition,and what we call death is when its identity ceases;things may perhaps be translated hither and thither;nevertheless, they stay constant in their sum total

In your opinion, where do private and political life, personal history and History meet? You know the answer, Maya. You say it unhesitatingly - in art and literature.

As there can be no translation from one language into another which shall not scant the meaning somewhat, or enlarge upon it, so there is no language which can render thought without a jarring and a harshness somewhere.

The corresponding metaphor, synecdoche, or metonymy, in another language will often be justly chargeable with obscurity and impropriety, perhaps even with absurdity. … {metonymy - sail vs vellum - for ship} … These tropes therefore are of a mixed nature. At the same time that they bear a reference to the primitive signification, they derive from their customary application to the figurative sense, that is, in other words, from the use of the language, somewhat of the nature of proper terms.

The sensation of the ocean bearing my weight was the most carefree lightness I’d ever experienced. When we were halfway across the strait, the sound of an engine approached from a distance—it was probably the police coast guard. We quickly ducked under the surface of the water, exposing only the tips of our trunks so we could breathe.

A real translation is transparent.

عندما أتعب من التأليف أتجه إلى الترجمة .. أى عندما لا أقوى على الوقوف فوق قدمي فأنا أتوكأ على أفكار الآخرين

Translation is that which transforms everything so that nothing changes.

Sometimes I long to forget… It is painful to be conscious of two worlds.