The author tries to describe the differences between two types of translation: literary translations and translations of scientific and technical translations. He tries to enfeeble the argument that literary translations would be easier than translations of scientific and technical texts. The article tries to describe what it takes to be a good translator and also describes and compares the differences between classes of translation. This all is illustrated with examples of translations of the work of Aldous Huxley, Sinclair Lewis, John Galsworthy, Emile Zola and Joseph Conrad. Finally, the author also describes how the education of a translator should look like.