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Author, editor, translator: who decides?
In the translation of a novel by a living author, three parties have a say: the author, who knows what every word is for; the editor, who knows the target market and the conventions of the target language; and the translator, who stands, as Alex says, in the middle. Practice varies, but many translators consult authors on points of meaning and intention, while publishers keep the final word on commercial questions such as the title and the cover. Repetition is a classic point of friction. Italian prose tolerates — and literary Italian often uses — deliberate repetition, while English editors are trained to flag repeated words. When an author has repeated a word on purpose, translators usually keep it and make it sound intentional through rhythm and placement, so that the reader reads a choice rather than a lapse. The conditions in this conversation — ammesso che, a patto che, sempre che, nel caso in cui, a condizione che — are the grammar of negotiation, and all take the congiuntivo. They let three people disagree and still reach an agreement.