Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
It can be paraphrased in English, but it can't be translated - at least not in any literal sense. It all makes perfect sense in Greek, though. That's why I say that I wasn't able to understand what Plato was actually saying until I was able to read the original - it's the literal truth.
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I'd like to hear more about this, but am not sure if this thread is the right place.
Surely there must be a way to accurately express or explain the meaning in English?
I wonder if what you call "paraphrasing" might really be the interpretation of grammar and idiom that is required for all good translation? It's never a 'literal' process, as you'd have by just decoding a substitution cipher. Even translating "Hello" usually involves a "paraphrase" to "whatever the target language's term of greeting is."
In other words, I wonder if what we non-Greek-speakers need is a better translation.