There is much conventional wisdom about which sorts of text are easy or hard to translate. But is that wisdom right? Is it true that in general poetry is harder to translate than prose, ASSUMING ONE KNOWS HOW TO WRITE POETRY? Is it true that broken syntax and/or neologisms are harder to translate than a colloquial, idiomatic voice? — The panelists have been asked: “What’s the easiest text you’ve translated and why did you find it easy; what’s the hardest and why?” Many factors will play into the responses, from linguistic features of source texts, through their similarity to or difference from a writer-translator’s own favored styles, to a translator’s particular gifts (e.g., some people have a knack for rhyme, while others lack it). Adequate time will be left for discussion.
