poet unbound

The translator has more responsibility than the poet has.

praise be

When encountering a foreign word or phrase, pause not only to puzzle out the meaning but also to praise the generosity of translators.

trader not traitor

Traduttori traditori (“translators traitors”); no, traduttori commercianti (“translators traders”).

ignores borders

The translator is a smuggler whose contraband is words.

a way without words

He even translated the silences well.

who's zoomin' who

Poets rightly fear the powers of their translators.

target language

As the translator of poetry painstakingly works through each poem, little does s/he know that a target is slowly being painted on her/his back.