I really enjoyed the way Beichman described the goal of translating a poem as creating "the poem's second self in a new language." While this is especially true for translating poetry due to the importance of sound, rhythm, etc. to the form of the text, I think it also offers a helpful perspective for translating literary text. I'm working on having a less rigid strategy for translation, and I think accepting that something will necessarily be lost in the translation can help focus on what can/need be preserved in translation.
In a similar vein, I thought Pulver's advice to step away from the original syntax in order to get closer to the text was interesting. In some cases I definitely agree, focusing too much on the structure of the original syntax can be counterproductive. I think that the translator just needs to be careful in cases where the syntax is a key part of the form.
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