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The Value of Translation

● Commenting on the value of translation, a Canadian writer notes: “It is commonplace to hear learned people say that such-and-such a book must be read in the original language to be appreciated, but Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: ‘What is really best in any book is translatable​—any real insight or broad human sentiment.’” As proof of this point, the writer refers to the Holy Bible as the most translated book and adds: “No book has had so revolutionary influences or had such a world-wide effect as the Bible. . . . People of all races find through these translations the answers to the great problems plaguing the world: war, immorality, crime, juvenile delinquency, racial and religious prejudice, atheism and despair.”