As I read about Bly’s stages of translation, I was shocked at the accuracy with which he describes this process. Many of my own translations have followed this process almost exactly, even though I was completely unfamiliar with it. The first part is given to us by you, the professors. This literal translation is the foundation of everything that comes after it, and I have felt my translations evolve from choppy words to more melodic and harmonious lines after considering grammar, meaning, and tone. Perhaps the only steps that are different are the last two: I tend to look at other translations earlier in the process to gauge the meaning of certain lines, and I don’t typically involve native speakers in my translation. In the final project, this will likely be a useful step. I liked that Bly took us through the process with a complete and detailed example of a poem that he was not very familiar with. Seeing the process in action solidified the purpose of each step, and the entire process resonated with me. Both texts seem to be centered around the idea that translation is an all-encompassing process. It requires considerable time and complete immersion in the world of whatever work is being translated.
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