“Every translation is a betrayal, but also a renewal.”
What this quote means
Énard evokes the paradox of translation: it can never perfectly reproduce the original, inevitably betraying it. But this betrayal is creative: it gives new life to the text, enriching it with another language and culture. Each translation is a reinterpretation that lets the work travel and reach new readers.
How to apply it daily
Reread a text you know in another language and notice how nuances shift the meaning.
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