Don't Get Lost in Translation

My publisher sent me a note and told me that Two Weeks to a Breakthrough is going to be translated into Japanese. I find this very cool and can’t wait to see the translated version. There are a lot of things I really admire about the Japanese culture.

I welcome the fact that there will be a new version of the breakthrough conversation. I have no control over the translation. And some concepts translate better than others.

I don’t define success by the accuracy of the translation, but by whether the resulting book is helpful and useful to readers.

This notion of translation affects many aspects of our lives. The conversations we have with our friends, kids, and partners. The translations of meaning that occur at meetings. The messages people hear when we present our points of view.

How might our daily communications change if we focused on the helpfulness of the message instead of whether people hear exactly what we intend.

I was listening to a writer do an amazing reading of his work. After the reading, someone asked him a question about writing for the audience and what he intended to communicate. He said that he had no interest in communicating and that’s not his goal. He would like him writing to move people.

Interesting distinction.