Translation: The Importance of it Through Literature

By Kiana Delsooz

As we know, there are many literary works that have been translated between different languages. But sometimes it feels that there should be more discussion on the importance of translation. In this post, I will discuss translation through works of English literature, noting how it allows diverse stories and cultural voices to be heard. 

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Brief History of Translation 

The word translation originates from the Latin translatio, meaning “to bring or carry across,” which naturally developed into the modern meaning of bringing or conveying the meanings of foreign words and phrases through one's native tongue. One of the oldest works to be translated into English is The Epic of Gilgamesh, a text that was originally written in Akkadian around 2100-1200 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia (or modern-day Iraq). In short, the story is about how King Gilgamesh of Uruk (who is one-third man and two-thirds god) abuses his power and oppresses his people. In response, the gods create a wild man named Enkidu to rival Gilgamesh. 

I remember reading this Epic for the first time during my first year at Western (in ENG 1027 – The Storyteller’s Art 1: Introduction to Narrative). At the time, I was happy and refreshed to see a piece of literature not originally written in the English language. Our class was given engaging lectures about certain passages within the story, which brought to light its historical context.

 The Assyriologist George Smith provided the original English translation of The Epic of Gilgamesh tablets in the early 1870s while employed by the British Museum. Now, it’s important to note that, like many museums, The British Museum has had a controversial history characterized by the theft of countless historical artifacts from foreign countries once under the rule of the British Empire. 

Since this first translation was published, people have noticed several inaccuracies that stemmed from Smith’s limited understanding of the Akkadian language, leading to many subsequent revisions.

Clearly, the history of translations can be complex, but it's better to explore it in all its complexity than to be one-sided about it. 

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Pros of Translation

Allows Stories to Reach a Global Audience:

As said in the beginning, translation allows stories to be read in multiple languages. It allows for more voices to be heard and have a level of impact which may have been impossible had they not been translated. 

I was especially happy when reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, considering our current university environment. We have come a long way in terms of what is being taught (depending on the course), though there is still room for improvement in allowing certain stories to be taught in primary and secondary schools as well.

The Odyssey, written by Homer around the 7th-8th century BCE in Ancient Greece, is another example of a text that has been translated into multiple languages. It is widely taught in English classes either by itself or in conjunction with other texts. This text demonstrates how impactful literature from other countries can be within English. Teaching such texts allows students to be exposed to multiple perspectives, improving their critical thinking skills and encouraging them to seek out more stories from other countries. 

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Cons of Translation

Not Given Proper Translation:

There have been times, unfortunately, when books have not been given proper treatment when translated into different languages. This led to stories not representing what they were intended to and often the overall quality of the writing being diminished. Mistranslation can also lead to the original tone of the text being altered or erased. 

I have already mentioned The Epic of Gilgamesh as an example of mistranslation, but Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915) also comes to mind. Originally written in German, the text has received several poor English translations which seemed to lose the author’s intended meanings. I remember reading The Metamorphosis for the first time as a physical copy and then a second time when I randomly stumbled across a version online (both were English translations).

When comparing these two versions of the text, the online copy felt like there was something missing in terms of how the family in the narrative reacted to their one family member Gregor Samsa (a salesman who becomes a giant metaphorical insect). In the physical text, Samsa is viewed as less than human by his family, whereas this crucial point of characterization was not conveyed as clearly in the online version. 

Additionally, I can recall times when my parents read certain poems and song lyrics in English and afterwards told me that they were poor translations of their own first language. For context, my mom was born in Portugal, and my dad was born in Iran, so they can tell when the specific diction and tone of Portuguese or Farsi texts have not been translated well into English. 

In the end, the translation simply cannot be the original text, especially with certain words in other languages having no English equivalent. Even if translators attempt to create a 100% accurate translation, it often doesn’t flow or make sense. 

That being said, translation is done best by people who are fluent in the language in question and overall understand the text they are translating. Again, a translation is not the original text, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make a translation the best it can be in order to provide people who are unable to read the original language with a meaningful alternative. What it comes down to is whether there is care and research put into a translation and whether or not the final product is perfected or rushed. 

Censorship:

Now, a translation of a text could be fine on the surface, but it could leave out important content from the original book which is meant to be there. Censorship of books has always been a big issue, but translation presents another layer to this problem. Many times, the content of books has been deliberately altered or watered down throughout the course of their translation, specifically for the purpose of censorship. Overall, these exclusions can go unnoticed, especially when it is someone’s first time reading a text. 

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Some Translated Works I’ve Enjoyed Reading

The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince):

The first one that came to my mind was The Little Prince, as it's one of my earliest memories reading a book translated from another language. The book was published in 1943, written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupėry, who was born in Lyon, France. The story goes into themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss through the lens of a young prince going to different planets. The same year it was originally published, an English translation was produced. Since then, it has continued to be a well-known story around the world. Even if someone hasn’t read it, they can often still recognize the book’s characteristic illustrations. 

(Side note: the 2015 animated film is really good, so I highly recommend others to watch it, whether you’ve read the book before or not!)

Forbidden Words: Selected Poetry of Eugénio de Andrade:

I enjoyed reading Forbidden Words since it presents the poet Eugénio de Andrade’s retrospective on childhood, nature, and personal relationships, in the form of a poetry collection. Born in Fundão, Portugal, Andrade is a well-known poet in the Portuguese literary world who was awarded the Camões Prize (Portuguese literature award) in 2001. Returning to the collection of poems, it was originally titled ​​Antologia Breve (“Brief Anthology”) when it was published in 1972. Afterwards, it was eventually edited for English-speaking readers by Andrade’s longtime translator, Alexis Levitin, and the translation was published in 2003. 

Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season:

Lastly, I wanted to mention another collection of poems by Forough Farrokhzad. Born in Tehran, Iran, Farrokhzad was a modernist poet and iconoclast. She was also a film director; one of her films includes the documentary short film The House is Black, released in 1961. Unfortunately, Farrokhzad got into a car accident in 1967 and passed away when she was only 32. Yet, her writing is still well known in the Iranian literary (and filmmaking) world. The edition of her poetry collection pictured below was published posthumously in 2022 and translated by Elizabeth Gray. Poems in the collection cover themes of longing, loss/grief, desire, and societal constraints. 

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Overall, translation holds a lot of importance, whether it be through escapism or getting the reader to think harder about the world they live in. Language barriers should never limit what we can read. After all, literature is supposed to widen our horizons, foster our critical thinking, and, in the process, allow a diverse range of voices to be heard.