Monday Morning Quote – Yevgeny Yevtushenko on Beautiful Translations

Another weekend irretrievably gone—and it’s time again for a Monday Morning Quote. This week’s quote is by well-known Russian poet, novelist, and director, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, who was honored in 1993 with a Medal for the Defender of Free Russia. Before reading the quote, keep in mind that Yevtushenko has been married four times already (just sayin’).

Translation is like a woman. If it is beautiful, it is not faithful. If it is faithful, it is most certainly not beautiful. - Yevgeny Yevtushenko Famous Russian Poet

The implicit misogyny of the quote aside, what do you think? Are “faithful” translations inherently not beautiful? What (if any) aspects of a source text should you be faithful to in order to create a beautiful translation?

Translators and linguists, we’d love to hear what you have to think.

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