well, we don't have the expression "lost in translation" for nothing, of course, but i agree with Ricardo : if i only read books which i could read in the original version i would have missed out on some really great books (including some portugese authors
). i have read books which were obviously difficult to translate (SS Van Dine in french is a lot more stilted than the original, i have discovered, and Dorothy L. Sayers also loses quite a lot in the french versions i read), however i have also read some translations which were magnificently done (Boris Vian, a brilliant french author, translated --among others-- Raymond Chandler, as well as Jabberwocky). however, as a rule, when possible, i prefer to read books which were written in languages like portuguese or italian in french translations, whereas i would prefer to read a german work in english. i think the biggest problem with translating works is that languages seem have a sort of inherent "ambiance" or "tone" about them (for lack of a better word), and sometimes this gets in the way of the ambiance created in the original text, if they are too different.