Translation of fiction is a truly creative process. A translator of works of fiction can rightfully be called a writer. When he translates a book from one of the foreign languages, he practically creates it from scratch.
Professional translators consider literary translation to be one of the most difficult areas of their work. It cannot be compared with either business or simultaneous translation, which does not require the harmony of sentences and the preservation of style.
The main features of literary translation
Regardless of the language in which the work is written, a literary translation must preserve its atmosphere and the author's style. At the same time, literary translation should not be literal. Rather, on the contrary, it is a very loose, free translation that does not require precision.
One of the features of literary translation is the relationship with the features of the original text. Often, a translator has to work with phraseological phrases or a play on words. If they are literally translated, the meaning of the text will be lost. To prevent this from happening, the translator needs to find similar phrases and play with words in the language into which the text is being translated. In this way, he will be able to preserve the humor inherent in the work by its author.
A truly worthy translation of a work of fiction can only be done by a translator with a gift for writing. Only a creatively gifted translator will be able to evoke in readers the same feelings and experiences that would arise when reading the original.
Another feature of literary translation is the observance of the style of the era and the cultural context of the era reflected in the work. To do this, the translator must research the era to which the work belongs, as well as the culture and traditions of the country in which the action takes place.
Translation of poetry
The greatest difficulty is the translation of poetry. Any poem in a literal translation turns into an incoherent set of words. The translator has to practically re-compose it. Therefore, poetry translation is most often done by professional poets, sometimes such outstanding ones as Valery Bryusov, Boris Pasternak, Samuil Marshak. Sometimes a poetic translation turns into a completely independent, original work, and its translator becomes a full-fledged author. For example, this happened with Goethe's romantic ballad "The Forest Tsar" translated by Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky.
Today, unfortunately, not everyone speaks foreign languages, and many works find their readers in all corners of the planet, primarily thanks to the art of translators of fiction.
