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The Hidden Power of Translation: How the Bible, Dostoyevsky, and One Piece Changed in New Languages
A deep dive into how words, meanings, and entire narratives shift across languages
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Translation: More Painting Than Photograph
How hard can translating a story really be? Just swap words from one language to another, right? If you’ve ever used Google Translate to turn an English sentence into Japanese and back, only to get something that reads like an eldritch prophecy, you know the answer: translation is messy.
Unlike a simple math equation, translating a story is more like adapting a song for a different instrument. Meaning, nuance, and cultural references can all get lost — or, in some cases, completely reinvented. And when the stakes are high — whether it’s religious doctrine, classic literature, or a beloved anime — those changes matter.
To prove that translation is more of a creative act than a mechanical process, we’ll look at three wildly different examples:
- The Bible, where mistranslations have shaped entire religious beliefs.
- Dostoyevsky, whose Russian novels sound suspiciously British in some…
