Literature in Translation.

Translated novels have many benefits, including providing us readers with a marvelous array of answers to questions we did not know we wanted to ask. Literature is a means of gaining knowledge of the lives of others. Its promotion of empathy allows us to understand another person, place or culture in a way that we couldn't have from simply traveling to a place or meeting a person. As mentioned in Text B, publishers not choosing to translate more are denying us "greater exposure to one of reading's most vital functions". The lack of translated novels forces us to remain ignorant to the outside world and prevents us from achieving a much-needed perspective. 

Regardless of the benefits translated novels reap, the difficulty they face is significant. Text B touches on the struggles translated novels face. A lot of countries where English is the first or robust second language have produced extraordinary works of literature and hold a highly evolved culture of literature. There are already so many wonderful books written in English that publishers face the decision to pick and choose. For what reason would they go into other countries and face the additional trouble to translate a novel that is just as good as the ones written in English?

The realization that English has become such a widespread language suggests the impacts of globalization. In such a global world, it has become imperative that translated books become more widespread. But it doesn't help that all translated novels rely on the few motivated translators and publishing companies that have devoted themselves to the translation of amazing novels. Not to mention the insignificance of translated books compared to English books. Translated books struggle to sell enough copies to provide their authors with enough for a living income. Unlike English novels where a lot of writers have managed to make a living off of it. 

Translating novels requires interpretation and imagination from the one translating. As stated in Text C, translators read the original piece and try to work out what's important. They are constantly making choices about what to preserve and what to sacrifice.  Despite the intentions of preservation, in translation, everything changes. Every word and phrase will be different from that of the original text and this cannot be avoided. This idea highlights the impacts that the formal structure of the text has on the meaning of the text -- a learning outcome from Part 3 of the course. 

Once the novel is translated - due to the creative nature of the process - there is no certainty in whether the final product could have been done differently or been improved.