Juan,

I've done a lot of translating and yes, it is a skill that requires as much innate writing ability and creativity as it does knowledge of the languages in question.

Film dubbing for me is the trickiest!! Subtitiles are one thing, dubbing requires you get the meaning, adapt it to the target culture AND fit the words into the actors' mouths. ... and poetry translation? You have to be a poet to translate poetry, I think, which is why I never tried my poetic license on that.

Maybe Emanuela can give us the source of this old Italian saying: "Traddutori traditori"--"Translators
betray their trust" or more simply, "Translators are traitors."

Anecdotes abound; I shall return with some.