直訳 and 意訳: original form and meaning in translation
Compare word-order analysis in a literal translation with readability in a free translation, without using the strategy name to prove accuracy or added information.
Translation close to the original form
「この表現を直訳すると意味が伝わりにくい。」 says that translating this expression literally makes its meaning hard to convey. The condition concerns this expression, rather than every literal translation.
「原文と直訳を並べて語順の違いを比べた。」 describes placing the original and a literal translation side by side to compare word order. Identify the feature being compared between the original form and the translated wording.
Readability in a free translation
「読みやすさを優先して長い一文を意訳した。」 describes freely translating one long sentence with readability as the priority. Adjusting expression to convey meaning is not permission to invent facts absent from the original.
「原文と意訳を並べて表現の違いを比べた。」 compares the wording of an original and its free translation. Although the English gloss includes “paraphrase,” retain this original-and-translation context rather than restricting it to rewording within one language.
A strategy does not settle accuracy
直訳 emphasizes wording close to the original form, while 意訳 emphasizes conveying meaning in natural expression. Neither name alone establishes that a translation is correct or incorrect.
Read whether the example compares word order, prioritizes readability, or compares wording. The focus is how the expression was translated, rather than who translated it or the medium used to deliver it.
What was prioritized in 「読みやすさを優先して長い一文を意訳した。」, and does 意訳 alone establish that information was added?
Show the answer and why
Readability was prioritized when translating the long sentence. 意訳 identifies an approach to expressing its meaning; the label alone does not establish invented information or an error. Compare the emphasis on original form with the choices made to convey meaning.