What does the author mean by 'a reading by a skilled person'?
Purists say that a translated poem is a different poem, and that readers who cannot read the original have not truly read it. There is truth in this: rhythm, sound and allusion are tied to a language, and no translation can carry them all. But the argument, if pressed, would mean that most of the world's literature is inaccessible to most readers, and that English readers had never read the Bible, the Greeks or the Russian novel. A translation is not the original, but it is not nothing. It is a reading by a skilled person, and, like any reading, it can be good or bad. The right response to the loss is not to refuse translations but to read several, to be aware of what may be missing, and, where possible, to learn enough of the language to hear the difference.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. A translation is an interpretation
- Step 1: The author adds that, like any reading, it can be good or bad.
- Step 2: So a translation is an interpretation.
Answer
A translation is an interpretation.
Why not the others: The author calls a translation a skilled reading that can be good or bad, not an unimprovable copy, not always the poet's, not criticism alone and not silent reading.
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