For readers who speak multiple languages, but not the original language of the work in question, how do you go about picking the best translation?
For example, I’d like to pick up Virgil’s Aeneid, but my Latin is not good enough to allow me to sight read it. I can choose between any of the Italian, French or English translations, but I’m not sure which one to pick?
I thought that in this case the Italian one might be the best as it would be “closer” to the original Latin? But how much value should I put on the authorial input/style of the translators themelves?
I usually pick English translations, but I’m now wondering whether I’ve been missing out on some great translations.
I speak Slovenian and English (a little Italian too, but not enough to easily read most books in). I usually look at the original language first - if the book was originally written in a Slavic language, i will read it in Slovenian, because the sentence structure and other grammatical things stay similar, and I find the book reading experience is better. Other than that, sometimes a book will only have one translation to Slovenian, dated to the mid 20th century, and I find those to be lacking sometimes, so I prefer to read a more updated/modern English translation. Besides that, usually just what language I feel like reading in. :) But if I were you I’d read it in Italian for sure.