Although he is best known as a novelist and semiotician, Eco translated works from several languages into Italian. His novel The Name of the Rose even demonstrates how his deep understanding of language and translation enriched his narrative style.
Eco authored numerous essays on semiotics and linguistics. In his essay Saying Almost the Same Thing: Experiences in Translation, he explores the art of translation and argues that creative freedom is essential to producing the same effect on the target audience. However, he also emphasizes that this freedom must be balanced: the translator should neither diminish nor “improve” the original text.
In his book Mouse or Rat? he goes even further, explaining that successful translation relies on negotiation: conveying meaning sense for sense rather than word for word.
What do you think about his conclusions?
