[Ads-l] Adage: Traduttori traditori (Translators, traitors)

[Laurence Horn]

> On Apr 2, 2017, at 5:49 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Ben. While searching I came across some instances of the longer
> version of the saying. Interestingly, an 1824 Italian book suggested
> that the phrase was an English proverb.
> 
> Year: 1824 (M.DCCC.XXIV)
> Title: Aloune prose del conte Giambatista Giovio
> Publisher: Per Giovanni Silvestri, Milano
> 
> https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl80AAAAMAAJ&q=traduttori#v=snippet&
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> E un proverbio inglese, e quasi una verità d'ogni idioma, che i
> traduttori sono traditori.
> [End excerpt]
> 

If so, given the lack of suitable rhymed nominals, this is one of those passages that improve with translation (which is ironic, given the proverb), like (according to some) Poe’s poetry translated by Baudelaire.  Can’t think of a word meaning ‘translator' that rhymes with “traitor” or vice versa.  The best I can come up with at the moment is “renderer-offenderer”.  

LH

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