"Lost in translation". The go-to headline. I always found it in poor taste, all that comparing, the "spot the missing thing" game, but lately I've been thinking there's another layer to its wrongness: With (high-quality) translation, you never lose, you always win. And if that little big thing, that cultural reference local audiences can't grasp anyway - if it falls through the cracks, so what? You've gained so much, it doesn't matter.

I got thinking about this after a colleague asked how to render "nigga" and other Black references in a series. There's no Greek equivalent and the alternative would be a neutral, maybe whiter "dude" or "bro". So I said, why not, you know, maybe omit it? If it's not plot-relevant and it's there just as a marker of authenticity. Viewers can appreciate the culture through the image, the voices, the accents. Immersion in that culture is already a win.

Random pic of Socrates enjoying the still cool summer nights on the balcony.

12 June 2026