---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you translate the American writers…"
description: "\"When you translate the American writers who are best with dialogue into German - someone like Elmore Leonard, or Tom Wolfe, who's also quite good with ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/daniel-kehlmann-13333_american-writer_when-you-translate-the-american-writers_2861276.png"
---

#  When you translate the American writers who are best with…

![“When you translate the American writers who are best with dialogue into German - someone like Elmore Leonard, or Tom Wolfe, who's also quite good with dialogue. It's very hard to translate them well.” quote by Daniel Kehlmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/daniel-kehlmann-13333_american-writer_when-you-translate-the-american-writers_2861276.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/daniel-kehlmann-13333_american-writer_when-you-translate-the-american-writers_2861276.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/daniel-kehlmann-13333_american-writer_when-you-translate-the-american-writers_2861276.png)

> “When you translate the American writers who are best with dialogue into German - someone like Elmore Leonard, or Tom Wolfe, who's also quite good with dialogue. It's very hard to translate them well.”

[Daniel Kehlmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kehlmann/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Translating dialogue‑rich American authors into German is difficult due to cultural nuance and idiomatic speech.

**In simple terms:** Translating dialogue is hard because of cultural differences.

Key Takeaway

Preserve voice while adapting cultural context.

Themes

translation language culture dialogue literature

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

educational reflective

When to use this quote

- publishing
- language learning
- international business

Key Concepts

cross‑cultural communication idiom adaptation literary style

Questions to Reflect On

- How can translators balance fidelity and readability?
- What strategies aid cultural adaptation?

A Different Perspective

Literal translation may lose original tone.

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[American writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writer/) [American writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writers/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Dialogue German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue-german-3863132/) [Dialogue Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue-hard-2582325/) [German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/german/) [Good Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-dialogue-607372/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Toms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toms/) [Translate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translate/) [Translate American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translate-american-3863133/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

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