Translations that sing by Ros Schwartz is, IMHO, the best attempt to date to describe and discuss the quintessential difference between translations that "accurately convey what the source texts says and are grammatically correct ... but somehow clunky" and, well, "translations that sing".
Ros hits the nail squarely on the head (or perhaps one of the several possible heads) when she points out that really effective translations have their own rhythm, heartbeat and a coherent voice.
As I have attempted to point out in other posts, these concepts also define top quality translations of commercial, technical and technical journalism documents intended to convince or persuade.
I do not claim -- and I suspect that Ros will agree -- that these qualities are as critical to all types of translation as they are to that of great poetry or the most 'musical' authors. But they help to explain the quintessential difference between the "good but somehow clunky" and truly excellent translations.
Readers might also like to explore other posts on The Pillar Box section of the ITI website, ITI being the United Kingdom's Institute of Translation & Interpreting.
This blog focuses on a small niche in the language services market, namely the adaptation between French and English (and to some extent other language pairs) of technical journalism for clients who seek to influence a clearly definied readership. Typical projects include website localisation, press releases and technical articles designed to shape opinions rather than simply inform. My blog is also a repository for occasional items of interest to translators and linguists in general.
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