--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Meaning can be usually be approximated…" description: "\"Meaning can be usually be approximated, but often by sacrificing style. When I review my translations into Spanish, that's what I'm most concerned with..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg" --- # Meaning can be usually be approximated, but often by… ![“Meaning can be usually be approximated, but often by sacrificing style. When I review my translations into Spanish, that's what I'm most concerned with, reading the sentences aloud in Spanish to make sure they sound the way I want them to. To be honest, I much prefer being translated into Greek or…” quote by Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg) > “Meaning can be usually be approximated, but often by sacrificing style. When I review my translations into Spanish, that's what I'm most concerned with, reading the sentences aloud in Spanish to make sure they sound the way I want them to. To be honest, I much prefer being translated into Greek or Japanese; in those cases, you have no way of being involved, and no pressure.” [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Translation often sacrifices style for meaning; reading aloud ensures natural flow, especially in languages where the translator has less control. **In simple terms:** Meaning may outweigh style in translation. Key Takeaway Prioritize natural sound in translation. Themes translation language style Mood thoughtful practical Type academic creative When to use this quote - book translation - subtitling - interpretation Key Concepts linguistics literary theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance meaning and style? - When is fidelity more important? A Different Perspective Style loss can diminish artistic value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned/) [Greek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [No pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-pressure/) [Prefer Translated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prefer-translated-4827395/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-sentences-1915318/) [Review Translations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/review-translations-4827397/) [Reviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reviews/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Spanish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spanish/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Translation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translation/) [Translations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translations/) [Translations Spanish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translations-spanish-4827396/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“What I have learned from about twenty years of serious reading is this: It is sentences that change my life, not books. What changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/what-i-have-learned-from-about-twenty-years-of-serious-reading-is/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [I think, in reading a few sentences of text, you can just tell the tone, and that's something I love in prose writers but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/i-think-in-reading-a-few-sentences-of-text-you-can-just-tell-the-tone-2/) [Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/) > [I think in reading a few sentences of text you can just tell the tone, and that's something I love in prose writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/i-think-in-reading-a-few-sentences-of-text-you-can-just-tell-the-tone/) [Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/) > [I'm a believer in the benefits of translation. It's a necessity and a privilege - it would be awful to be limited to reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-m-a-believer-in-the-benefits-of-translation-it-s-a-necessity-and-a/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [If it's concerning immigration, do something on immigration, put your concerns on the President's actions and I'll vote on them. I'm not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/if-it-s-concerning-immigration-do-something-on-immigration-put-your/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) > [There was no pressure or blackmail from the U.S. I had no idea the military aid was held up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volodymyr-zelensky/there-was-no-pressure-or-blackmail-from-the-u-s-i-had-no-idea-the/) [Volodymyr Zelensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volodymyr-zelensky/) > [No pressure. Just relax and watch it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/no-pressure-just-relax-and-watch-it-happen/) [Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/) > [I love what I do: there is no pressure. The music doesn't like pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burning-spear/i-love-what-i-do-there-is-no-pressure-the-music-doesn-t-like-pressure/) [Burning Spear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burning-spear/) > [No pressure on the outside is greater than the pressure I put on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-trubisky/no-pressure-on-the-outside-is-greater-than-the-pressure-i-put-on/) [Mitchell Trubisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-trubisky/) > [There is no pressure at the top. The pressure is being second or third.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/there-is-no-pressure-at-the-top-the-pressure-is-being-second-or-third/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [Voice work is the best - no need to dress up, no audience, no pressure, nobody's judging you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-whitley/voice-work-is-the-best-no-need-to-dress-up-no-audience-no-pressure/) [Kym Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-whitley/) > ["You are the actor, and I understand we already had our sit down, you explained your concept, your view," so I said, "Okay, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/you-are-the-actor-and-i-understand-we-already-had-our-sit-down-you/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [There is no pressure on me, I can take a lot of risks in the coming weeks. I feel free to ski the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-maier/there-is-no-pressure-on-me-i-can-take-a-lot-of-risks-in-the-coming/) [Hermann Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-maier/) > [A proactive person needs no pressure to perform and an ineffective person offloads his pressure onto others to deform the positive work culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/a-proactive-person-needs-no-pressure-to-perform-and-an-ineffective/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [No pressure is greater than God's power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/no-pressure-is-greater-than-god-s-power/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) ## More by Daniel Alarcon > [A novel is like an animal you have to hunt down and kill. If you let it sit for two days, it's got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/a-novel-is-like-an-animal-you-have-to-hunt-down-and-kill-if-you-let/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I love to walk through the streets of Jesus Maria and Pueblo Libre. The Spanish colonial buildings are in bright colors, two stories high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-love-to-walk-through-the-streets-of-jesus-maria-and-pueblo-libre/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“They spoke without much fluency about a minor universe of events that affected neither of them: the vagaries of neighborhood life, people they both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/they-spoke-without-much-fluency-about-a-minor-universe-of-events-that/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I guess in my own life I don't really think much about manliness too much. I feel like a lot of men that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-guess-in-my-own-life-i-don-t-really-think-much-about-manliness-too/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I want people to read good work. If I see someone reading a book by Lorrie Moore or Jennifer Egan, I'm psyched. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-want-people-to-read-good-work-if-i-see-someone-reading-a-book-by/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“And what does he feel?" "He feels uneasy. A little afaid. Angry. Oddly, a hint of pride." "Good," Henry said. "ANd where are you?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/and-what-does-he-feel-he-feels-uneasy-a-little-afaid-angry-oddly-a/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [How emigration is actually lived - well, this depends on many factors: education, economic station, language, where one lands, and what support network is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/how-emigration-is-actually-lived-well-this-depends-on-many-factors/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [Eduardo Halfon is a brilliant storyteller, whose gifts are displayed on every page of this beautiful, daring, and deeply humane book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/eduardo-halfon-is-a-brilliant-storyteller-whose-gifts-are-displayed/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [As a boy, I wanted to be the Peruvian Diego Maradona. Sadly, Peru hasnt made the World Cup since 1982, so I guess I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/as-a-boy-i-wanted-to-be-the-peruvian-diego-maradona-sadly-peru-hasnt/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [Publication in 'The New Yorker' meant everything, and it's no exaggeration to say that it changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/publication-in-the-new-yorker-meant-everything-and-it-s-no/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I have a love/hate relationship with the internet. It's obviously the central tool of how I work, and how I keep in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-have-a-love-hate-relationship-with-the-internet-it-s-obviously-the/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [Radio is the medium that most closely approximates the experience of reading. As a novelist, I find it very exciting to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/radio-is-the-medium-that-most-closely-approximates-the-experience-of/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I do feel fortunate to have some knowledge of the great Latin American writers, including some that are probably not that well known in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-do-feel-fortunate-to-have-some-knowledge-of-the-great-latin/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“He admired this too: their ability to preserve joy at any cost, the way prehistoric man might have preserved fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/he-admired-this-too-their-ability-to-preserve-joy-at-any-cost-the-way/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I think probably the thing I'm worst at is the most ephemeral stuff, like blogs. I find it really hard to write. And I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-think-probably-the-thing-i-m-worst-at-is-the-most-ephemeral-stuff/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) [Explore all 61 Daniel Alarcon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) [Maynard Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-ferguson/) > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Meaning can be usually be approximated, but often by sacrificing style. When I review my translations into Spanish, that's what I'm most concerned with, reading the sentences aloud in Spanish to make sure they sound the way I want them to. To be honest, I much prefer being translated into Greek or Japanese; in those cases, you have no way of being involved, and no pressure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Alarcon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-but-often-by-sacrificing-style/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-but-often-by-sacrificing-style/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/daniel-alarcon-11254_being-honest_meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-b_3010808.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Meaning can be usually be approximated, but often by sacrificing style. When I review my translations into…” — Daniel Alarcon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Daniel Alarcon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Meaning can be usually be approximated,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-but-often-by-sacrificing-style/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/meaning-can-be-usually-be-approximated-but-often-by-sacrificing-style/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```