I'm glad we get a wide range of submissions that includes poetry from all over the world and sometimes from centuries past. But when a poem is translated into another language, a great deal can change from one translation to the next. Some translators highlight certain aspects of a poem, some focus more on structure, some on literal interpretation, some on the quintessence of piece. Some take more liberty than others in attempting to adapt the theme of the poem to a new language. Translators are poets too. Not only do they need to bring the poet's idea to a new audience, but they are challenged to remain true to the poet's voice, their style, their imagery, their intent. The translator must determine how to balance these aspects, and they also have to rely on their interpretation of the author's meaning to do so, resulting in occasionally widely varying translations.

Not to put too fine a point on it, I'm sick and tired of people posting poems not in their original language, and failing to identify the translator. It's a difficult and valuable skill and I find it insulting not to credit their hard work. Not to mention that if I'm reading something new to me, being able to recognize or seek out translators who are familiar and talented is incredibly useful. I feel that neglecting to credit the translator in a post here is nearly as infuriating and very much along the same lines as those who post poetry that is incorrectly transcribed or misattributed.

If I'm out of line here, or even if I'm not, I'm curious about other people's thoughts. Isn't this of prime importance? Shouldn't we at least acknowledge the effort? Is there a way we can try to hold ourselves to a higher standard? Am I expecting too much from a subreddit with 1.5 million subscribers, where people break the primary rule every day by posting OC?