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a small permission to interpret
You are holding yourself to a standard of fidelity the original author never met.
They were improvising. You're allowed to too. Translator perfectionism is the most paralytic form of perfectionism because it adds someone else's voice to your inner critic — and that voice has the gravitas of a finished novel. We talk about translator perfectionism, the Maven judgment calls every literary translator makes daily, and the small reframe that turns paralysis back into voice. The original is a draft. So is your version. The fidelity you owe is to the experience, not the syntax.
Fidelity to syntax · fidelity to experience
| Syntax fidelity | Experience fidelity |
|---|---|
| Same sentence structure | Same emotional weight |
| Same word count | Same rhythm at reading pace |
| Same metaphor | Equivalent metaphor in target language |
| Paralysis | Working translator |
The translator's permission slip
- I am allowed to restructure a sentence to preserve the rhythm.
- I am allowed to substitute a metaphor that works in the target.
- I am allowed to expand or compress where the language requires.
- I am allowed to make judgment calls. That's the craft.
- I am allowed to be wrong sometimes. So was the original author.
The original was a draft. So is yours. The fidelity you owe is to the experience, not the syntax. That's not betrayal. That's translation.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
From the Maven Catalog
- Master Course — Translator's Permission
- eBook — The Original Is a Draft
- Toolkit — Translator's Toolkit
- Planner — Translation Project Planner
Sign the permission slip. Make the judgment calls. Translate the experience, not the syntax. The work becomes alive in the target. That's the gig.