How to translate verses
Video: How to Translate John 3:16 "Literally" 2024, July
Translating poetry is much more difficult than fiction, technical description or business correspondence. Indeed, in the new version of the work it is necessary to recreate the original size and take into account the subtleties of rhyme.
Instruction manual
one
Read the whole poem. Briefly outline the plot so that you do not lose the essence of the story in the future.
2
Analyze which sounds prevail in the original text. Poets often use the repetition of individual syllables or letters to express their emotions, create the desired mood. Therefore, in working with your version, try to reflect these features of the original text as much as possible.
3
Break the text into sentences. Translate each of them as you would with plain text. Try to translate poetic forms into ordinary phrases, but do not lose the beauty of comparisons, hyperbolas, and other stylistic figures of speech.
4
Analyze the size (meter) of the original, how many syllables each line contains, the order of the stressed syllable. Schematically draw each line, indicating stressed and unstressed syllables with a special element. In translation, try to stick to the same meter.
5
Start the translation. Work on each quatrain individually. You can safely rearrange words or phrases in places if this does not harm the perception of the text and helps to achieve the desired rhythm. Try to find the right turns when translating phraseological units and stable expressions. Ideally, if in translation you rhyme the same parts of speech as in the original text, for example, “noun - verb”, but this is very difficult, so in a hopeless situation, move away from this rule.
6
Use synonyms when choosing the right words. They will help you to keep within the framework of the size and rhyme strings.
7
Subtract the text. Avoid the fact that you have done a great and difficult job. Objectively evaluate whether the translation is similar to the original poem, whether you have moved away from the main narration, or if you have added nonexistent details. Compare the impressions of your version with the summary that you did at the very beginning of the work.