We all want to get the most value from a service, and when you hire a translator, there are some easy ways to increase your ROI. One of them is to provide your translator with your customer key demographics so they can create a more targeted translation.
I recently came across an excellent book by Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing. This book contains insightful tips, not just for scientists or academics, on how to write clearly and concisely. One of his core messages is to analyze the audience, purpose, and occasion—which is quite similar to marketing writing advice on targeted communication, and creating a call to action.
Alley’s book on scientific writing also contained a quote from Albert Einstein that intrigued me.
When you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor
I wondered what the original quote was, and found the reference from the author.
Die Schönheit, meine Herren, wollen wir den Schustern und Schneidern überlassen. Unser Forschungsziel muß die Wahrheit bleiben.
The German speakers (and eagle-eyed readers) will have noticed that the original quote is much longer. For the non-German speakers, here’s a more direct translation:
Gentlemen, let us leave beauty to the shoemakers and tailors. Our goal in research must remain the truth.
It’s not clear when, and by whom, the quote was originally translated, and why the person decided to truncate it. Most likely, the translator wanted the quote to be shorter and more memorable.
Which is the best translation?
When I asked which version my social media followers preferred, most people preferred the longer quote, with several people noting that the shorter quote lost nuance. For example, ‘Forschungziel muss die Wahrheit bleiben’ is not just ‘describing’ the truth. It expresses that the research goal must be the truth. The pleasing rhetorical flourishes in the original German were also lost. For example, the alliteration of Schönheit – Schustern – Schneidern, and the emphasis on Schönheit at the beginning of the sentence.
Proving the point of the quote, that we sometimes sacrifice eloquence to create a pithy and memorable message.
There’s no right or wrong translation here—it comes down to your preference and, very importantly, the ‘audience’ and ‘purpose’ that Alley mentions. That’s why it’s so useful when my clients tell me about their ‘buyer persona’, if they’ve defined this already. When I know your key demographic, I can create a more targeted translation that grabs their attention and encourages them to read on.
A targeted translation based on the core audience
In this case, the audience is scientific writers, and the purpose was to teach them that “In scientific writing, beauty lies in clarity and simplicity.” The shorter translation works better, and fits with the writing style of the author.
If the audience was magazine readers, and the purpose was to tell a story about the life of Albert Einstein, then sticking closer to the original language would be the better option. Especially as it reflects the time in which it was written.
It serves as a great reminder to let your translator know who the target translation audience is, and what you want them to do once they finish reading the content.
