Your task is to write a response that examines the study of literature in translation. Your response should demonstrate an awareness of specific benefits and challenges through references to today’s readings, as well as making tangible connections to the learning outcomes from Part 3 of the course.
Looking at the case of Feng Tang, who attempted to translate Rabindranath Tagore's revered poem, 'Stray Birds' in the summer months of 2014, we see a relatively well-meaning translator, who's translation work is heavily criticized, despite being hailed by some critics as historically accurate and relevant. Despite its importance, translation work will always be criticized, as a direct result of the difficulties of not only translating a text, but also translating the entire culture behind that text. No text is written devoid of cultural context, meaning that translation into another culture will always remove meaning and reduce understanding, a large reason why Tang's work was so criticized, as innocent ideals were translated into supposedly 'perverted' poems.
Translation holds a vast, vast amount of benefits; it supplies global knowledge, it helps spread local knowledge and values into a global context and allows for large amounts of cultural development, but is hampered greatly by the social and cultural contexts that hang on to the back of each text like an unwanted smell. No matter a translator's understanding of the language, without an appropriate understanding of cultural context. Even then, even with the appropriate understanding, there may be no direct translation from the original text to the translated text. There is no translating without context, making translating an incredibly difficult and challenging profession.
Looking at the case of Feng Tang, who attempted to translate Rabindranath Tagore's revered poem, 'Stray Birds' in the summer months of 2014, we see a relatively well-meaning translator, who's translation work is heavily criticized, despite being hailed by some critics as historically accurate and relevant. Despite its importance, translation work will always be criticized, as a direct result of the difficulties of not only translating a text, but also translating the entire culture behind that text. No text is written devoid of cultural context, meaning that translation into another culture will always remove meaning and reduce understanding, a large reason why Tang's work was so criticized, as innocent ideals were translated into supposedly 'perverted' poems.
Translation holds a vast, vast amount of benefits; it supplies global knowledge, it helps spread local knowledge and values into a global context and allows for large amounts of cultural development, but is hampered greatly by the social and cultural contexts that hang on to the back of each text like an unwanted smell. No matter a translator's understanding of the language, without an appropriate understanding of cultural context. Even then, even with the appropriate understanding, there may be no direct translation from the original text to the translated text. There is no translating without context, making translating an incredibly difficult and challenging profession.
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