All translation is interpretation. Every language carries it's own nuance, which rarely translates directly to another. When translators fail to acknowledge thi

All translation is interpretation. Every language carries it's own nuance, which rarely translates directly to another. When translators fail to acknowledge this, they end up doing the interpretation unconsciously, and often mangle the piece. An example I can think of off the top of my head is Max Stirner's "Der Einzige und sein Eigentum" (Either "The Unique and it's Property" or "The Ego and It's Own" depending on your choice of translation) was originally translated into English by Steven Tracy Byington. The translation is bad, missing pretty much all subtext included in the German, for example, translating the identical first and last lines of the book differently. Now, in their respective contexts, each translation of that line is reasonable, but by translating them differently that piece of humor is missed. The Wolfi Landstriecher translation, on the other hand, attempts to maintain the symmetry, perhaps at the cost of a more literal translation of the wording.