Which characteristic does a translation not preserve?

Answer 1

Translation cannot preserve in any kind of satisfying way the prosody of the original material. The prosody is the rhythm of the original and the way the rhythms and sounds of the words flow and interact. Translations also do not easily capture cultural and historic references in some of the original words, and they do not capture the subtle and sometimes not so subtle meanings that come with word play in the original. Even the very best translations cannot preserve these things consistently and accurately.