Text in Translation

Translating texts is always hard because the translation of that said text can dilute the meaning that the original text wanted to convey. For example there was an author in China called Feng Tang who translated the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, which is a 300 plus poem collection. Tang is highly considered one of the most controversial writers due to his own style of writing, which can be quite offensive. His translation of Tagore's poems was considered offensive and vulgar as well as critics called him hormone obsessed with colossal insecurity. The difficulties of translation remind me of a quote by Amara Lakhous  “So many people consider their work a daily punishment. Whereas I love my work as a translator. Translation is a journey over a sea from one shore to the other. Sometimes I think of myself as a smuggler: I cross the frontier of language with my booty of words, ideas, images, and metaphors.”. This quote shows both the beauty of education given through translation but also the drawback is that if the cultural message is altered by the translation it could create an uproar. Even through the challenges that translation can have, when the translation is read there could be a sense of cultural connectivity where the translation is received and the messaged is understood. Furthermore translations brighten people horizons by making them see the full picture as well as comprehend from different perspectives. Although translation can be difficult on conveying the message, the overall beauty of translation is the connection of different cultures through the same piece of literature or language.