One of the things some people are complaining about with Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the translation that he is reportedly relying upon. He is supposedly using Emily Wilson 2017 translation which some people seem to like and others don't like.
I haven't read it so I can't speak from from personal experience. I did watch a video defending the translations and claiming that it was truer to the original text. The example she gave was the word "kynopis" which, apparently, literally means "dog-faced." It is generally considered derogatory and often translated as "shameless."
Helen of Troy uses the term referring to herself in Book 4 and Emily Wilson has, according to the woman making the video, translated it literally while previous translations have made it into a form of self-condemnation and translating it as Helen criticizing herself as "shameless."
The are three main methods for translating something.
1. Word-for-Word (Formal Equivalence)
This method stays as close to the original text as feasible. This sounds like the path that Wilson took, at least in this example. The problem with a word-for-word translation is that it can leave modern readers scratching their heads when they come across phrases or idioms that are no longer in use. In this example, "dog-faced" would probably be a tad confusing.
2. Thought-for-Thought (Dynamic Equivalence)
This method prioritizes translating the meaning of a passage rather than sticking strictly to individual words. This is what translators are doing in this example when they translate "kynopis" as "shameless." The criticism of this method is that different translators may interpret the meaning of different passages differently.
3. Paraphrase (Free Translation)
Instead of translating directly from the original language, these versions rephrase the text into a conversational, interpretive format. I've always considered this Dynamic Equivalence on steroids and clearly risks loosing the meaning of the text through interpretation.
Each of these methods have champions and detractors. So, staying truer to the actual text may, or may not, be a virtue.
Update: I got a bit more detail on the actual translation that Wilson uses. Apparently it was “They made my face the cause that hounded them.”
The problem with translating "kynopis" as "hounded" rather than "shameless" or "wanton," is it changes the line from self reflection and taking at least some of the blame for the war into essentially blaming everyone else. Fitzgerald renders the line as "...that year the Akhaian host made war on Troy—daring all for the wanton that I was.”
Helen therefore appears to take some responsibility for running off with Paris even if she was under Aphrodite's control. I like that Helen better than Wilson's Helen even if she was being too hard on herself.
