Logo
Woe to the makers of literal translations, who by rendering every

Woe to the makers of literal translations, who by rendering every word weaken the meaning! It is indeed by so doing that we can say the letter kills and the spirit gives life. – Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet)

No other quotes found from this author.
Other Quotes from
Translation
category

Translation is the paradigm, the exemplar of all writing. It is translation that demonstrates most vividly the yearning for transformation that underlies every act involving speech, that supremely human gift. – Harry Mathews

Category:
Translation

Any translation which intends to perform a transmitting function cannot transmit anything but information — hence, something inessential. This is the hallmark of bad translations. – Walter Benjamin

Category:
Translation

There are few efforts more conducive to humility than that of the translator trying to communicate an incommunicable beauty. Yet, unless we do try, something unique and never surpassed will cease to exist except in the libraries of a few inquisitive book lovers. – Edith Hamilton

Category:
Translation

I do not hesitate to read all good books in translations. What is really best in any book is translatable — any real insight or broad human sentiment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Category:
Translation

Random Quotes

It is surprising what a man can do when he has to, and how little most men will do when they dont have to. – Walter Linn

Category:
Necessity

If a man would move the world, he must first move himself. – Socrates

Category:
Miscellaneous

After failing four times and after working for other people and realizing that nobody paid attention to the food like they should have, we wanted to just pay attention to the food and service. – Paul Prudhomme

Category:
Food

I had this really great amazing thing happen where I almost finished the book and I really needed to come up with an ending and I decided to go back and re-read the book and see if I could come up with an ending. – Cory Doctorow

Category:
amazing