Translating Seneque (continued and end). The translation of Seneque's maxim "ignoranti quem portum petat, nullus ventus suus est" continues to foster interest among certain readers. Mr. Gerard Bokanowski, Director at the directorate general for translation and general services of the European Parliament, suggests: "pour qui ne sait quel port gagner, point de vent favorable", stressing that, in this way the French has only eleven words (instead of the Latin eight). That's remarkable. And Mr. Ramon Puig de la Bellacasa has even come up with an idea in Spanish with the same number of words as in Latin: "Ningun viento aprovecha a quien ignora su rumbo". But, once again, in both cases a nuance is lost: in Seneque's text, it is not only a question of not knowing where one is heading, but also a refusal to provide oneself with a goal. To the letter: for who knows not which port he is seeking … (petat).
I thus reaffirm my favourite solution: to fully understand the meaning of the maxim, word for word, and then…return to the Latin text, which, however you look at it, will always be the best.
Today's phrase. "G...so often says the opposite of what he means that he sometimes gets things right" (Rivarol, "Carnets").