In our work, we were examining the quality of the translation of Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita into Serbian language. We did it selectively, by using comparative analysis, on certain examples from this novel. Our opinion was that, while translating, an original code as a result of translating process had to be kept, i.e., potential material errors should be avoided. We agreed that a translator, apart from knowing original and target languages, has to be competent for textual analysis of the original, literature competence for interpreting of artistic texts, as well as being familiar with non-linguistic situation to which it is directed in the original. Wider knowledge of Bulgakov’s work helped the translators in successful pre-coding and stylistic compensation in examined cases. While analyzing two translations of Bulgakov’s novel (by Milan Čolic and Zlata Kocić), we indicated where the translators failed to avoid material errors, but also where they managed to accomplish creative type of translating.
