"Traduku la sencon, ne la vortojn."
Translation:Translate the sense, not the words.
21 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
So I should write: Bring out the inner essence of the concepts entailed in each phrase and ignore the mundane drudgery of the actual words themselves?
Nice selection of words and combinations. Hopefully not being rude now but; how old are you? :D
I remember things like put a nickle in the slot to get a cold Coke.
More to the point, the question is broader than the simplistic injunction "translate the sense, not the words" would imply. There is a range from word-for-word translations (which I have done, translating handwritten Russian documents from the 19th century for many people), scientific or technical translations (which I have also done), translation of prose literature (imagery), translation of poetry or song (imagery, rhythm, and rhyme), and interpretation in commercial or political negotiations (intention and nuance).
Perhaps like me, born before the internet? (Hint, my 1st car had an 8-track player.)
I think the intent here is not that you give a very different wording that has approximately the same meaning, but that you not translate word-for-word such that it doesn't read like smooth English.