Mathematicians are [like] a sort of Frenchmen; if you talk to them, they translate it into their own language, and then it is immediately something quite different.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Mathematicians translate conversation into their own language, often changing its meaning.
- In plain terms
- Math experts rephrase ideas, altering them.
- What can you take from it?
- Be aware that technical translation can shift intent.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can you preserve meaning across domains?
Another view
Not all translation changes meaning; sometimes it clarifies.
More from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Man is not born to solve the problem of the universe, but to find out what he has to do; and to restrain himself within the limits of his comprehension.
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