Bourth (X) Sep 11, 2009:

Precisely. Yes, some non-native speakers can translate excellently into their non-native tongue, which is why I said "should be LARGELY the preserve" above. The rest of us should steer clear of such hazardous ventures and specialize in what we do best.

Ega (asker) Sep 10, 2009:

Thank you Bourth for taking the trouble of quoting from The Seven Lamps of Translation. And you are right to point out that he did not translate into his native tongue, my point was rather that being a native speaker is not in my view an absolutely essential quality for being a good translator, teacher or writer. There are countless examples of remarkable writers writing in a language which was not their own :Cioran, Kundera, Pessoa (english poems) to quote just a few.

Bourth (X) Sep 9, 2009:

Proust translated into his native tongue. And presumably would have been self-sufficient for purely linguistic aspects. For the "technical" - and even "poetic" - aspects of his translation he relied on others.

"Male was a reliable source of art history, architecture and archaeology, whereas La Sizeranne provided the poetic introduction to Ruskin. Without Male and La Sizeranne, Proust would not have been sufficiently well prepared for the task of tackling and interpreting Ruskin."

The Seven Lamps of Translation, Cynthia J. Gamble

Ega (asker) Sep 9, 2009:

Proust who could hardly speak english translated Ruskin and I don't think that he at least was out of his depth.

Ega (asker) Sep 9, 2009:

ok, thanks, you're right to point out that it is a basic question, I will keep the site rules in mind from now on.

Bourth (X) Sep 9, 2009:

This will probably get zapped by one (just one) of our moderators, but even if these questions are categorized as "Non-Pro", I must say I really do think "poetic text" should be largely the preserve of n*t*v* sp**k*rs, people who can swim, not of people who are merely p*rf*ctly tr*ling**l and somewhat out of their depth (to quote a great man).

Rob Grayson Sep 9, 2009:

Even if what you say is true, how about giving some more guidance in the first place as to what kind of helping you're looking for? Or do you expect us to guess?

Ega (asker) Sep 9, 2009:

I am aware that I can use a dictionary, in this case, because it is a rather poetic text, I am seeking creative alternatives and not asking for translation help on a literal basis.

Rob Grayson Sep 9, 2009:

KudoZ rules You are not complying with KudoZ rule 1:

http://www.proz.com/siterules/kudoz_asking/2.1#2.1

There are plenty of other resources to use for this type of most basic question.