Steiner and Bellos

Steiner writes about the idea of how translations are an exchange of elements and are meant to be balanced. He talks about even though there are things lost in translation, there are things that are enhanced through the process. Even though it is hard to achieve the ideal to find the potential undiscovered in the original text, we always seek to reach the equilibrium of being creative and keeping the intention of the text. It was fascinating to see how Steiner describes translation as an act of exchange, where readers can gain cultural and psychological benefaction.

Bellos gave me another view of localization. While he acknowledges the fact that localizing is important for the new audience, he asserts that there are also people who wish not to forget that the text is a translation. He goes on to talk about how to add foreignness in translation. This somewhat parallels with Steiner's idea that translations serve as a medium to preserve cultural meaning. I agree with them and I think translators possess the ability to transmit foreign culture to the targeted audience.

Iris