Dlaczego tłumaczenie "Eneidy" to coś więcej niż słowa: Od Wergiliusza do Kotlarewskiego

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A Journey Across Centuries and Languages

When Virgil wrote the Eneida in Latin over two thousand years ago, his goal was not just to tell a story of Aeneas. He was building a national epic — a cultural foundation for Rome, full of historical references, political messages, and poetic form.

Centuries later, Ivan Kotliarevsky transformed the same epic into Eneїda — a Ukrainian-language masterpiece, but not as a direct translation. It was a reinterpretation: a satire, a social commentary, and a vivid portrait of 18th-century Ukrainian life.

Translation or Transformation?

If we compare Virgil’s original with Kotliarevsky’s version, we quickly realize: this is not translation in the strict sense.

• Virgil’s Latin is elevated, formal, filled with mythological and historical gravitas.
• Kotliarevsky’s Ukrainian is earthy, humorous, and rooted in folk tradition.

For example, a solemn battle in Virgil might become a humorous village quarrel in Kotliarevsky. This is a shift not only in język, but in worldview.

The Translator’s Dilemma: Words or Meaning?

For language learners, this comparison is a masterclass in why translation is not just finding word equivalents.
A translator between English, German, Ukrainian, and Russian often faces the same choice:

• Keep the literal meaning and risk losing cultural resonance.
• Adapt the tone and imagery to speak to a different audience.

Example:
Latin’s “arma virumque cano” (I sing of arms and the man) in Kotliarevsky’s style would never stay solemn — it might transform into something playfully ironic, because the audience expects humor.

Learning Through Literature

Przy Start Language School by Tymur Levitin (Levitin Language School), we use such literary contrasts to help students:

1. Zrozumieć why sentence order changes between languages.
2. Recognize cultural expectations in communication.
3. See how idioms, humor, and imagery travel — or fail to travel — across borders.

We might take a Kotliarevsky passage, compare it to Virgil, then try translating it into English or German, discussing what must change to keep the intended effect.

From Latin to Modern Classrooms

Why is this relevant for today’s English and German learners?
Because the same principles apply when you:

• Read Shakespeare in German.
• Translate Goethe into English.
• Adapt Ukrainian poetry for an American audience.

It’s never just words — it’s meaning in motion.

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📚 Rubric: Author’s Column by Tymur Levitin
🖋️ Autor: Tymur Levitin — founder, director, and senior teacher at Start Language School by Tymur Levitin (Levitin Language School)
© Tymur Levitin