Blog Post #29: Translated Literature

 Your response should demonstrate an awareness of specific benefits and challenges through references to today’s readings, as well as making tangible connections to the learning outcome from Part 3 of the course. 

Firstly, translated texts give readers an insight into an opposing or similar perspective to their own. Translated literature allows readers to experience a first-person or more authentic perspective of a given society, culture or experience that may have more bias, manipulation, or artificiality in their first language resources. This provides them with a better understanding of the events or even educates them on events they were unaware of, which aids individuals and their awareness. Translated texts have a greater possibility of gaining sympathy or an emotional connection with readers even if they have not experienced or are unaware of the given events due to the emotional honesty and genuineness. Resources that may comment on the same events in the reader's first language are most likely from an outside perspective which can be missing crucial information or contain a sterile atmosphere. Not only does it give insight into certain events and cultures but it can provide vital information or connection to previous time periods within other cultures or owns own culture whose language has changed or who do not speak their native language. 

Along with it possibly giving readers a new mindset or attitudes towards certain concepts, it can provide interesting analysis and possible literary styles or differences. Studying translated texts could give people of varying languages information on new methods of stylistic choices or plot development which could aid their own literature and storytelling methods. 

Even though there are many benefits, there are still a lot of complications which comes when translating texts. Many translators still describe the task as "impossible" as it is difficult to retain the literary life within the original text in the new one and often have to create a new life which suits the new language. There are many difficulties translating as the certain phrases or figurative language cannot be translated literally. The difference in culture can also affect the degree of translation as certain phrases, words or concepts might not be cross-cultural which can be hard to maintain similarities in text and intention. This continues with sentence structure, sound and flow of a story as it can be impossible to replicate the original elements of the text in a completely different language, especially if some words are absent in either language. All these factors may lead to a loss of information, atmosphere or emotion while giving the possibility of miscommunication, emotion, atmosphere or information which clouds the a=original intent of the author.