by our beloved Dide, our talented native in-house linguist
Outwardly a tool for communication, within, something different
Crusty shell battered by the sea, within, an iridescent pearl
Clichéd phrases passed around like salt, within, the unity of comprehension
Come now, metamorphose, the beautiful butterfly self of translation
Slowly, slowly, incubating, grow each strand of personality
To be braided to the bow, a schizophrenic symphony living in me
But of course it’s not the same, is it? For the potentiality of existence is broadened
Our role-playing does not vie for our soul, instead, whole worlds and cultures opened
How various activities enable various expression, so too, the Tetris games of grammar
Each coloured building block piling up, into a symbiotic skyscraper, a drummer
Leading the parade to the Tower of Babel, where conceptual development goes hand-in-hand
With language, each generating the other, like the quality of musicians in a band
Every one of them playing the same note, interpreted uniquely
Every language repeating the same thoughts, formulated inimitably
A kaleidoscopic present of expression, forking off into multiple directions
Retains within it, still, a remembrance of a shared past in its fluctuations
Each time a word is spoken, like a road once walked upon
Links us with our ancestors, the Queen’s Highway in times gone
And the evolution of languages holds, within it, too, such commonality of etymology
Remember, should we, this in our political prances, the lesson of linguistic anthropology
A stripping back of language to its essence, before the transformation of translation begins
Grit and sand combining, into a power that, no doubt, wins
Why translating poetry exposes what translation really is
A poem gives a translator nowhere to hide. Meaning, rhythm, sound and line break all carry weight at once, and no version can keep all four. Every choice is visibly a loss, which is why translators argue about poetry more than about contracts.
The same trade-off exists in commercial work, just hidden. A slogan, a warning label and a product name all force a choice between literal accuracy and intended effect. Poetry simply makes the decision impossible to disguise.
Our linguists work across more than fifty languages. See the full list on our languages page.
