--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a few minor rules for myself but I…" description: "\"I have a few minor rules for myself but I break them all the time. For example, when translating from Romance languages to English, there is often a ch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/adam-morris-29730_break_i-have-a-few-minor-rules-for-myself-but_2255666.jpg" --- # I have a few minor rules for myself but I break them all… ![“I have a few minor rules for myself but I break them all the time. For example, when translating from Romance languages to English, there is often a choice between a Latinate cognate and a Germanic equivalent. An easy example would be the Portuguese escuridão: English offers both obscurity and…” quote by Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/adam-morris-29730_break_i-have-a-few-minor-rules-for-myself-but_2255666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/adam-morris-29730_break_i-have-a-few-minor-rules-for-myself-but_2255666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/adam-morris-29730_break_i-have-a-few-minor-rules-for-myself-but_2255666.jpg) > “I have a few minor rules for myself but I break them all the time. For example, when translating from Romance languages to English, there is often a choice between a Latinate cognate and a Germanic equivalent. An easy example would be the Portuguese escuridão: English offers both obscurity and dark or darkness, and some translators will tell you the Latinate word is generally reserved for poetic and figurative expressions, while the Germanic word is used for colloquial and idiomatic use.” [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges personal rules for translation choices but often breaks them, highlighting the tension between formal and informal language equivalents. **In simple terms:** I set translation rules but often ignore them, especially choosing between formal and everyday words. Key Takeaway Accept flexibility in translation; balance formality with readability. Themes translation language flexibility formality colloquialism Mood reflective analytical Type advice observational When to use this quote - literary translation - technical documentation - subtitling - marketing copy Key Concepts linguistics semantic choice register theory Questions to Reflect On - When should you prioritize literal accuracy over natural flow? - How do audience expectations shape word choice? A Different Perspective Strict adherence may hinder naturalness and audience connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Portuguese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portuguese/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Translators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translators/) ## Related quotes > [...mastery of the art and spirit of the Germanic language enables a man to travel all day in one sentence without changing cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/mastery-of-the-art-and-spirit-of-the-germanic-language-enables-a-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Thank the Lord, Germanic democracy means just this: that any old climber or moral slacker cannot rise by devious paths to govern his national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/thank-the-lord-germanic-democracy-means-just-this-that-any-old/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The Germans form one of the most important branches of the Indo-Germanic or Aryan race - a division of the human family which also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/the-germans-form-one-of-the-most-important-branches-of-the-indo/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [“Ernest, your name shall be Hengest which is the Germanic name for a stallion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/ernest-your-name-shall-be-hengest-which-is-the-germanic-name-for-a/) [Michael G. 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Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [“Dorme, dorme, meu menino Dorme no Mar dos Sargaços Que mais vale o mar a pino Que as serpentes nos meus braços.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dorme-dorme-meu-menino-dorme-no-mar-dos-sarga-os-que-mais-vale-o-mar/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Portuguese cake-making”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-collingham/portuguese-cake-making/) Lizzie Collingham > [Any sizeable Portuguese town looks like a superstitious bride's finery - something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/any-sizeable-portuguese-town-looks-like-a-superstitious-bride-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## More by Adam Morris > [Dreamlike sequencing is perhaps one of João Gilberto Noll's most remarkable triumphs in Quiet Creature on the Corner. I translated the novel and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/dreamlike-sequencing-is-perhaps-one-of-jo-o-gilberto-noll-s-most/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [Once I looked into it, I was taken aback to learn that pretty much nothing by João Gilberto Noll was available in English translation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/once-i-looked-into-it-i-was-taken-aback-to-learn-that-pretty-much/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [Unless you count the political backdrop, which in any case is a familiar one to many international readers, I don't think there's anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/unless-you-count-the-political-backdrop-which-in-any-case-is-a/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [The fiction I've written and published is certainly inflected by the work of authors I was reading or translating at the time. 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