As a child I watched a movie called “Tekka Man: The Space Knight” with my brother. It’s a completely ridiculous piece of pop-culture. I liked it (we weren’t very cultured). Anyhow, I was reflecting on the best way to translate the word αρετε into English for the past few days and I was reminded of that show and of the Italian version.
Watch these two videos. In the first (an Italian translation): Tekka Man is a stoic soldier whose stalwart attitude toward battle leads him to destroy a supposedly invincible alien fleet single-handedly. He and his robot sidekick are strangely colored, but utterly intimidating and unstoppable.
Now for the second (I won’t explain it, except to say that it’s in English):
The main character in the second video with the same visuals and music is a buffoon whose need to explain everything he does in the vacuum of space defies explanation or reason. There is almost nothing redeeming about Tekka Man. Sure, he defeats an invincible alien force, but who would want to be friends with such a self-conscious guy?
Conclusion
Anyhow, translation matters. Not only that, but too little and overmuch explanation can ruin a story, sermon, or lecture.