TRANSLA'TION, in literature, the rendering of a literary work from the original language into another. The pe culiar merits and peculiar difficulties of successful translation have often been pointed out by critics, but their judicious directions base been seldom realized by authors. In truth, those difficulties re quire a talent of so high an order to sur mount them, that few writers are fit to undertake the office of translators (we mean of 'works of any high literary mer it,) except those whose genius has more congenial occupation in original composi tion ; for notwithstanding Dryden's sar castic remark, that "imitation of an au thor is the most advantageous way for a translator to shots himself, but it is tho greatest wrong which can be done to the memory and reputation of the dead," we are inclined to doubt whether, in reality, imitation be not the more advantageous method of the two.—" It is the office of the translator to represent the forms of language according to the intention with which they are employed: he will there fore, in his translation, make use of the phrases in his own language to which use and custom have assigned a similar con ventional import ; taking care, however, to avoid those which, from their form, or any other circumstances, are connected with associations exclusively belonging to modern manners. Ile will likewise, if he is eapable of executing his work upon a philosophic principle, endeavor to render the personal and local allusions into the genera of which the local or personal va riety employed by the original author is merely the accidental type, and to repro duce them in one of those permanent forms which are connected with the uni versal and immutable habits of mankind.
The _faithful translator will not venture to take liberties of this sort ; he renders into English all theconve•sational phrases according to their grammatical and logi cal form, without any reference to the current usage which has affixed to them an arbitrary sense, and appropriated them to a particular a-nd definite purpose. The spirited translator, on the contrary, employs the corresponding modern phras es; but he is apt to imagine that a peculiar liveliness and vivacity may be imparted to his performance by the employment of such phrases as are particularly con nected with modern manners ; and if at any time he feels more than usually anx ious to avoid the appearance of pedantry, he thinks he cannot escape from it in any way more effectually than by adopting the slang and jargon of the day. The pe culiarities of ancient times he endeavors to represent by substituting in their place the peculiarities of his own time and na tion."