#1 - The translator of poetry must realize that

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Must be True. The correct answer choice is (D)

This stimulus here is applying a music analogy to the act of translating poetry from one language to another. The analogy seems to be implying that while poetry cannot be translated word-for-word across languages, it can be adapted to the new language by somebody with a true understanding of the language the poetry is being translated into. While the question stem here is a little tricky, this is a must be true question, as the stimulus is asking you what can be understood from the information provided in the stimulus.

Answer Choice (A): There is nothing in the stimulus that would support this answer choice. The stimulus analogy is clearly implying that poetry can be translated across languages, just as music can be translated between instruments. This answer choice directly contradicts the purpose of the analogy.

Answer Choice (B): This answer choice completely mistakes the purpose of the analogy. The music portion of the stimulus is an analogy to apply to the translation of poetry. The musicality of a language is at no point part of the discussion.

Answer Choice (C): The point of the analogy is that you have to mold the original meaning together with the spirit of the new language. The analogy in no way dismisses the importance of the original meaning.

Answer Choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. The analogy tells us that the violinist must be guided by the nature and possibilities of the violin as well as by the original composition. This answer choice converts that analogy over to the translation of poetry by addressing the importance of both the original poem and the qualities of the new language.

Answer Choice (E): There is nothing in the stimulus that would lead to any type of conclusion regarding the effect of different types of writing on the ease of the translation of poetry.

[sdesousa]

Hi

I'm having trouble understanding this question and its correct answer- I'm hoping someone can help clarify it for me.

I chose answer C, but the correct answer is D. Both answers seem almost identical to me so I'm having some trouble deciphering between the two.

Thanks so much,
Sandy

[Steve Stein]

Hey Sandy,

That's a good question. The author compares the translation of poetry from one language to another to the translation of music from piano to violin. There is no way to produce the exact equivalent in another language or another instrument, but, the author points out, the violin can play a version (not exact but recognizable) of the same music--as long as the violinist is guided by the nature of the new instrument (the violin) and of the original.

Similarly, the analogy would continue, poetry can be translated (not exactly but recognizably) so long as the translator considers the nature of both the new language and of the original. This is what is provided by correct answer choice (D).

Answer choice (C) asserts that the translator should be primarily concerned with rhythms and sound patterns; such primary concerns are not specifically suggested by the author's analogy.

I hope that's helpful--please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[Echx73]

Hello,

I choose D when I was going through your question type training. I went back and I looked at a few things. I originally choose D when deciding between C and D because C uses the words "rhythms and sounds patterns." This to me is the "nature and possibility" of a song not a poem. When I looked at D I saw "spirit & qualities of expression that characterize language" and I felt this is more of the "nature and possibility" of a poem. Was I correct to go off of this assertion? I have been taking the advanced LR Course and I felt this would fall under the "Umbrella idea." If not, let me know (and if you are a student I highly recommend the advanced LR course!)

Secondly, after I was checking my answers, I noticed something different about the stimulus after rereading it. The second part of the last sentence states "only if the violinist is guided.... When I reread D again, I noticed the word "must" and how strong that is (I should have noticed it originally but I am getting better). Since the stimulus uses "only if" it would also be correct to assume the answer is going to have a stronger language answer?

Eric

[David Boyle]

Hello,

I choose D when I was going through your question type training. I went back and I looked at a few things. I originally choose D when deciding between C and D because C uses the words "rhythms and sounds patterns." This to me is the "nature and possibility" of a song not a poem. When I looked at D I saw "spirit & qualities of expression that characterize language" and I felt this is more of the "nature and possibility" of a poem. Was I correct to go off of this assertion? I have been taking the advanced LR Course and I felt this would fall under the "Umbrella idea." If not, let me know (and if you are a student I highly recommend the advanced LR course!)

Secondly, after I was checking my answers, I noticed something different about the stimulus after rereading it. The second part of the last sentence states "only if the violinist is guided.... When I reread D again, I noticed the word "must" and how strong that is (I should have noticed it originally but I am getting better). Since the stimulus uses "only if" it would also be correct to assume the answer is going to have a stronger language answer?

Eric

Hello Eric,

"nature and possibilities" may refer more to the powers and capacities of an instrument like the violin--or an instrument like a language--, rather than comparing songs with poems.
Comparing "only if" with "must", that makes some sense, since both are necessary (not sufficient) indicators.

Hope this helps,
David

[andriana.caban]

Hi,

I don't understand why answer choice (C) is incorrect. I chose this answer because of the first sentence in the Stimulus, which states "The translator...word for word equivalents do not exist". I linked this back to the answer choice, because it states that the translator "should be concerned with reproducing patterns...not with transcribing its meaning exactly".

I was stuck between (D) and (C), but I don't think I understood the last part of (D) when it says "qualities of expression...the original is translated".

I also recognized a conditional relationship in the last sentence triggered by 'only if' but because of the complexity of the last sentence, I had difficulties diagramming it and following the relationship. Thanks!

[James Finch]

Hi Andriana,

(C) is a classic half-correct answer choice. While the last part, about not transcribing meaning exactly, is correct, the analogy in the stimulus isn't saying that translators must capture "sounds and rhythm," but rather use the tool at hand (the languages) to create the same effect on the reader in both the original language and the translated one. Sound and rhythm could be associated with poetry, but are much more important to music.

(D) is correct because it much more closely describes the idea of capturing the idea of an original work without translating it directly, which is the reason why the analogy is made in the stimulus. The more general terms used in this answer choice fit more closely with the scope of the stimulus than the more specific ideas in (C).

Hope this helps!

[andriana.caban]

It makes total sense now!

Instead of looking at how the idea that violinists can play sounds "recognizably the same" to piano to can be applied to the translator of poetry I was trying to find an answer choice that had a musical element which also contained the idea that translators should be aware that word-for-word translations do not exists across languages.

Thanks!

[Kennedv_]

Hi,

My two contenders were C and D and the only reason I cancelled C out was because of the "primarily concerned." I thought no where in the stimulus did it give rank/priority to anything (just that a violinist should be guided by this and this as well as that). Is that okay that I dismissed answer choice C because of that phrase or should I have looked more into it and dismissed it for a logical reason?

Thanks!

[James Finch]

Hi Kennedy,

While that particular phrase is a hint that (C) is an incorrect answer choice, much more important is the fact that it focuses on keeping the original as intact as possible when translating/transcribing, rather than focusing on the spirit of the original and using the "nature and possibilities" of the new instrument/language, which is the second component of the analogous principle given in the stimulus. So for me the key issue is the lack of any consideration for the new language, as opposed the simply the phrase "primarily concerned," as one could be primarily concerned with two specific things, not just one.

Hope this helps!