Translation tries to reveal pure language, an impossible task, but one that nonetheless remains its very essence. This view of translation allows it the practice to escape the vicious circle of linguistic questioning : what is the best type of translation ? That which remains faithful to the original to the detriment of the naturalness of the target language, or that which freely adapts itself to the target language ? Neither one nor the other is ideal ; rather the type of translation that best grasps the relation between the two languages, that which is most attentive to the two ways of expressing the world. If the translator is a ferryman, his task is perhaps to remain between the two linguistic shores, by ensuring the passage from one language to another, and not, as conventional wisdom would have it, by being at home in the target language.