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Meaning
The quote says translation is a secondary act, not the same as creating something new from scratch. It also argues that when words move from one language to another, some meaning or nuance will always be lost.
When It Was Said
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Who It Was Said To
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Historical Context
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
No source found on Wikiquote; the quote is listed as attributed to Joseph Brodsky.
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About Joseph Brodsky
Russian and American poet and essayist
Joseph Brodsky was a Russian and American poet and essayist. He is known for poetry and prose that moved between Russian and English, and for an essayistic voice that made him a major literary figure in both cultures. Brodsky wrote as a poet and essayist across two languages, and his work is often associated with reflection, exile, and the life of the mind. He is credited on this site with 153 quotes.
More from Joseph Brodsky (153 quotes) →Keep reading Joseph Brodsky
- “Evil is a sucker for solidity. It always goes for big numbers, for confident granite, for ideological purity,…”Joseph Brodsky
- “As failures go, attempting to recall the past is like claiming to grasp the meaning of existence. Both make o…”Joseph Brodsky
- “Americans have been tremendously fortunate in poetry, regarding both the quantity and quality of poetry produ…”Joseph Brodsky
- “Poetry seems to be the only weapon able to beat language, using language's own means.”Joseph Brodsky
Explore Translation
- “It is hard indeed to notice anything for which the languages available to us have no description.”Alan W. Watts
- “I think, therefore I am. My fingers that caress these rose and frangipani petals are a result of my thoughts.…”Mohamed Latiff Mohamed
- “IT IS NOT ABOUT SYMPATHY OR LIKEABILITY, EITHER. EMPATHY IS ABOUT THE TRANSLATION OF FEELING.”Film Crit Hulk!
READ THE SOURCE
Books by Joseph Brodsky
Selected Poems, 1968-1996
2020
Less Than One
2020