anna karenina x2

When we were away recently, my wife did something she's been planning to do for a while. She read two translations of Anna Karenina back to back. (She has degrees in French and German and a PhD in Spanish, so she’s super-interested in language. She’s also super-eager to avoid talking to me when we travel.)

She was only a few pages into the second version before she said, “This is like a completely different book. This is far better. This translation has so many more details and more atmosphere.”

The two translations were completely different … but they were versions of exactly the same words.

It’s a reminder of how important it is to find the right translator. Or the right ghostwriter.

A ghostwriter translates your thoughts onto the page. Another ghostwriter might translate them completely differently.

The key is to find one you trust to use the words you have in your mind.

How do you do that? Easy. Talk to them. You’ll soon sense if they’re on the same wavelength.