I describe the relationship between the translator and his client as symbiotic. The client relies on the translator’s language skills, but they must work together to obtain the desired result; the client should provide a detailed brief with as much context as possible (target audience, tone sought, etc.) and the translator must not hesitate to ask for clarification to find the right tone.   

 

Moreover, I subscribe to the philosophy that writing (or translation) should be primarily for the reader’s benefit. In this respect, it is the writer’s (or translator’s) job to make the text clear. Everyone loves aesthetically pleasing lyrical flourishes, but for whose benefit are they really? The reader or the writer?

 

Strunk and White pleaded for simple, impactful sentences. “Omit needless words” they cried in their famous style book. Churchill made the case that shorter words are “usually the more ancient ... Their meaning is more ingrained in the national character and they appeal with greater force to simple understanding.”

 

Who am I to argue?