Oh, Hawkes does a ton of transculturation — just watch how all the reds turn to greens and golds — but he’s doing it consistently and intentionally (and I think pretty defensibly), and most importantly with *taste,* which is the missing ingredient in so many translations.
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That's the kicker right there (and one of the many things I struggle with in my own translations). If you can do something consistently, for good reason, and with style, then you're doing good in the world of translation.
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Strong agree — I *like* translators who recognize that the job requires interpretation; would rather see consistent stylistic choices made by someone whose tastes I don’t share than uninspired-but-technically-correct flossing and transliteration.
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One of these days when I can get a translation seminar class running, I'm going to need to invite you in so we can fight about this. I agree with you, but I think we can still have a great fight.
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This was pretty much how I ran the translation class I taught in Beijing: many translations enter, one consensus translation leaves. (I also used to invite and tell students that he was my imaginary friend and that I knew they couldn’t see him)
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They said, "uh, who are you talking to?"
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