If the best criticism of art is another work of art, studying the act of translation (the movement of ideas from one area or method of expression to another, such as between languages, between ancient and modern, between literature and life) can be of value to the English teacher. Bad translations, as exemplified in the condensation and simplification of masterpieces to attract a wider audience, destroy the integrity of the work of art, but good translations, such as Shakespeare's translation of Plautus in "The Comedy of Errors," create an integrity of their own. Paraphrasing, reordering, and summarizing have some uses in classroom translation, but they are nonliterary methods of teaching literature and violate the integrity of the work. Juxtaposition--the placing of two works side by side with as few preconceptions as possible about what the results will be--frequently gives insight into both works. Comparing imitations and parodies with the works that inspired them can also be enlightening. Other proven translation methods are comparing different plays on the same subject, comparing plays to films based on them, and comparing poems and paintings. (LH)