Originally Posted by hanabiwings (Post 2042190)

I used to think that literal translations were best, but I no longer think this. Also, while more objective texts can be translated rather well (e.g. technical material, non-fiction, etc.), fiction, poetry, lyrics, and the like cannot be "translated" so much as "interpreted." Obviously, we could translate directly, but the nuances would be lost. So it's often the translator's job to choose expressions that interpret properly the sentiments, register (e.g. politeness, formality, etc.), and idioms in a way that makes sense in the target language.