--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Teaching translation is more of an…" description: "\"Teaching translation is more of an editing job. You act as editor. But you can have fun with it.\" — Gregory Rabassa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg" --- # Teaching translation is more of an editing job. You act as… ![“Teaching translation is more of an editing job. You act as editor. But you can have fun with it.” quote by Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg) > “Teaching translation is more of an editing job. You act as editor. But you can have fun with it.” [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Translation is likened to editing, emphasizing the editor's role and the enjoyment it can bring. **In simple terms:** Translation is like editing and can be fun. Key Takeaway Approach translation as editing, enjoy the process. Themes translation editing creativity learning Mood analytical enthusiastic Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - literary translation - academic coursework - self‑editing projects Key Concepts editorial judgment language nuance Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance fidelity and creativity? - What editing skills enhance translation? A Different Perspective Editing may overlook cultural context if not careful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Having fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-fun/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Translation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translation/) [Translations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translations/) ## Related quotes > [“This is echoed by King-scott (1996, 295), who warns that unless technology-related issues are integrated into translator-training programmes, there is a real danger that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-bowker/this-is-echoed-by-king-scott-1996-295-who-warns-that-unless/) Lynne Bowker > [Every act of communication is an act of translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/every-act-of-communication-is-an-act-of-translation/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [I have always maintained that translation is essentially the closest reading one can possibly give a text. The translator cannot ignore "lesser" words, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/i-have-always-maintained-that-translation-is-essentially-the-closest/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [Translation is a disturbing craft because there is precious little certainty about what we are doing, which makes it so difficult in this age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/translation-is-a-disturbing-craft-because-there-is-precious-little/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [A translation can never equal the original; it can approach it, and its quality can only be judged as to accuracy by how close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/a-translation-can-never-equal-the-original-it-can-approach-it-and-its/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [A translator is essentially a reader and we all read differently, except that a translator's reading remains in unchanging print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/a-translator-is-essentially-a-reader-and-we-all-read-differently/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [Where names of people or places would mean little to a contemporary reader, I figured "translation errors" could create interesting new meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/where-names-of-people-or-places-would-mean-little-to-a-contemporary/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Translation is an interestingly different way to be involved both with poetry and with the language that I've found myself living in much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/translation-is-an-interestingly-different-way-to-be-involved-both/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [The vices and the virtues are written in a language the world cannot construe; it reads them in a vile translation, and the translators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-vices-and-the-virtues-are-written-in-a-language-the-world-cannot/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/silence-is-the-language-of-god-all-else-is-poor-translation/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [The translation process becomes a highly subjective thing - turning reds and blues into black-and-whiteness. It's really bizarre for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/the-translation-process-becomes-a-highly-subjective-thing-turning/) [Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/) > [The translation called good has original value as a work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedetto-croce/the-translation-called-good-has-original-value-as-a-work-of-art/) [Benedetto Croce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedetto-croce/) > [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) ## More by Gregory Rabassa > [A translator is essentially a reader and we all read differently, except that a translator's reading remains in unchanging print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/a-translator-is-essentially-a-reader-and-we-all-read-differently/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [A translation can never equal the original; it can approach it, and its quality can only be judged as to accuracy by how close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/a-translation-can-never-equal-the-original-it-can-approach-it-and-its/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [Translation is a disturbing craft because there is precious little certainty about what we are doing, which makes it so difficult in this age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/translation-is-a-disturbing-craft-because-there-is-precious-little/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [I have always maintained that translation is essentially the closest reading one can possibly give a text. The translator cannot ignore "lesser" words, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/i-have-always-maintained-that-translation-is-essentially-the-closest/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [“So the poor translator must not just go back and forth between two languages, but if he is worthy of his calling must shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/so-the-poor-translator-must-not-just-go-back-and-forth-between-two/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [“The translator, we should know, is a writer too. As a matter of fact, he could be called the ideal writer because all he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/the-translator-we-should-know-is-a-writer-too-as-a-matter-of-fact-he/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [When you hear Portuguese, if you're listening fleetingly, it's as if you're hearing Russian, which never happens with Spanish. Because the Portuguese and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/when-you-hear-portuguese-if-you-re-listening-fleetingly-it-s-as-if/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [Every act of communication is an act of translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/every-act-of-communication-is-an-act-of-translation/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) > [One of my favorite tricks was taking a page and having the first student translate it from English into whatever language he or she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/one-of-my-favorite-tricks-was-taking-a-page-and-having-the-first/) [Gregory Rabassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) [Explore all 10 Gregory Rabassa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/) ## More Editing quotes > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [Whenever I finish a film, I feel that this is the worst film that I have made. This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [A perfect movie is a different thing, but a funny movie is easy. I was really happy that I got everyone that I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/a-perfect-movie-is-a-different-thing-but-a-funny-movie-is-easy-i-was/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When I see my movies on the editing table, I do think I could have done them a certain way. The satisfaction is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/when-i-see-my-movies-on-the-editing-table-i-do-think-i-could-have/) [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [Songwriting is like editing. You write down all this stuff - all this bad, stupid stuff - and then you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/songwriting-is-like-editing-you-write-down-all-this-stuff-all-this/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-what-holds-people-up-in-creative-processes-is-the-expectation/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [And then to see the whole movie, you're pretty much waiting until the end of production. And the major lifting in terms of editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/and-then-to-see-the-whole-movie-you-re-pretty-much-waiting-until-the/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-every-book-that-is-written/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“It’s easy to see what to do once it’s already been done. The difficult time is before it’s to be done, and while you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-s-easy-to-see-what-to-do-once-it-s-already-been-done-the-difficult/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Once you sign on as an actor, you know, you don't go to the editing room, you don't see how they cut, you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/once-you-sign-on-as-an-actor-you-know-you-don-t-go-to-the-editing/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [The momentum of production keeps you from giving up, so it's really the editing and writing phases where things can look bleakest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rian-johnson/the-momentum-of-production-keeps-you-from-giving-up-so-it-s-really/) [Rian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rian-johnson/) > [I spend a lot of time in preproduction working with authors, and a lot of time in postproduction.: editing, music, all that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-preproduction-working-with-authors-and-a-lot/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) Browse all 938 Editing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Teaching translation is more of an editing job. You act as editor. But you can have fun with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gregory Rabassa" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editing-job-you-act-as-editor-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Editing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editing-job-you-act-as-editor-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/gregory-rabassa-41041_editing_teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editi_717623.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Teaching translation is more of an editing job. You act as editor. But you can have fun with it.” — Gregory Rabassa", "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": "Gregory Rabassa", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-rabassa/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Teaching translation is more of an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editing-job-you-act-as-editor-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-rabassa/teaching-translation-is-more-of-an-editing-job-you-act-as-editor-but/#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 } } ] } ```