You have all the tools in the Internet toolkit above. Before you become a translator you need to go to school again and learn to read a poem very closely. In this module we will give you examples of actual poetry translated into other languages, pointing out the relative strengths and weaknesses of different versions. You will become attuned to the pitfalls which poetry presents to even the best professional translator. No translation is perfect.
Translation is an open-ended process.
We hope that by becoming aware of the strengths and weaknesses of translations discussed here you will be tempted to produce new translations that will be an improvement on the existing body of work. In this module we offer several examples of translation in action. You will be able to follow a blow by blow commentary between an English poet and his translator engaged in the translation of a poem into Russian, and a self-study written by a translator in the form of a term paper, explaining the translation of a poem by Ronsard into English. You will see how the meaning is elucidated during this process and will be able to appreciate the final product. The Forum is an open space at the centre of the virtual manifestation of the school.