How should I translate?

I find that when I translate, I feel like I should stick to how THEY said it, not how I would say it. For example, I recently did a translation that said something along the lines of, "it means that I return." That is what it was in the source, so I felt obligated to say it like that. Is it/would it be better to say it how I would say it instead? For example, saying, "it means that I'm back"?

Basically, should I be translating the words or should I translate the idea?

Hi Spasty,

I would say that this depends upon the type of text to be translated.

In general, technical, legal, medical... documents should be translated in as loyal a manner as possible to the original.

For most other texts I personally prefer conveying the "feel" of the text rather than sticking to a strict translation. This comes from having translated one or two novels in the past.

Poetry, jokes, stories, proverbs, songs... can rarely be translated other than by translating the "feel" at the same time as the words.

Some texts contain a mixture of both technical elements and freestyle writing (messages on medical internet forums for instance), where the tone of the texts has much importance at the same time as the contents of such messages requires very precise and loyal translation.

So for some texts you end up doing hybrid translations.

Bises
Tantine

I cant find where i can write translation???thanks

Hi anna geo. Fo 3 days after your registration you can only translate into your native langauge (serbian). And there are no requested translations to serbian from the langauges you can read. But there are georgian translations from english that you can transalte in 3 days.

Thanks a lot but my native language is Georgian.

Ok then I changed it, now your native langauge is georgian in your profile.

Thanks a lot,I wasnt able to change it.