Sachys: thats a viking saga though - no version is ever the same. When I was doing archaology and had to do the tours around the Arc, one thing we had to learn was the sagas. first thing we were taught was "There is no going wrong in how you tell it - as long as its thrilling and remains in line with the times it comes from".
So as long as I didnt add spaceships or anything daft, I could just roll with it.
I've not read a bad translation of Beowulf, but they do vary quite a lot. I understand that liberties have to be taken, both in translating to retain original meaning and in making that meaning apprehendable to modern readers. And there is a further step required whenever translating poetry or free verse, since there should be an effort to retain rhythm and structure. I have a copy of the Seamus Heaney translation, haven't read it yet but have hopes for it to be a good one.
martigasin: wow now that you mention it, work on a faithfull translation of the divine comedy must be a lot of work, i didn´t read it yet, i believe i´m not on a level where i will fully enjoyed it
My favourite English translation of the Divine Comedy is the one by John Ciardi. He was a fine poet and author in his own right and does a beautiful job in bringing Dante's words over to us. And in an interesting bit of overlap with a conversation I've been having in another thread (about the game
Neverending Nightmares), he also collaborated on several books with the artist Edward Gorey.