Literature in translation

The study of literature in translation bears as many benefits as it does drawbacks, and in my own life I have come to find that one can only judge the matter, on the basis of its impact on their own life, be it positive or negative.

At the very onset an obvious argument for translated work would be that it allows for the spreading of ideas, allowing people who would otherwise have no access to a story or work, to have access to it.

Literature has long served as a medium for radical innovation and growth, and it this sentiment that gave way to expressions such as the pen being mightier than the sword. If the literature of a single people can lead to a paradigm shift in society how much more the combined insight of all the world’s authors, past and present.

What’s more such exposure allows for a fresh appreciation and perspective on life, as readers are enabled to view life through the eyes of a different people, culture, race and creed.

That being said it is in this convenience and all inclusiveness that problems begin to arise. Languages are highly diverse in their execution and form, and for this reason how could one expect to accurately translate a text written in Khmer, a language with 74 letters, to a language such as English, which only has 26 letters. Countless details would be undoubtedly lost in the process, whole words and phrases, and the original meaning of the text would be forever different to that of the translated work.

It is for this reason that translated works can be seen as false emulations, parodies if you will that water down the tenor and essence of their original works.

Be that as it may, I am of the belief that something is better than nothing, and even if literate in translation does provides insights that were not intended by the author, they still provide content that would otherwise be nonexistent.