nec converti ut interpres, sed ut orator –> I did not translate as an interpreter or translator, but as an orator
We must translate as if the work of the past were addressed to and destined for us—in the sense that Cicero already, somewhat boldly, intended when he translated the speeches of Demosthenes and Aeschines from Greek into Latin: “nec converti ut interpres, sed ut orator”—“I did not translate as an interpreter or translator, but as an orator,” as an artisan and an intercessor.
Translation: Oneself As Another - Public Books