Looking at release https://beta.musicbrainz.org/release/f2265920-6aa3-47a7-95e2-c7fb4489ceda it is a release of the St Matthew Passion sung in English. I considered creating a new set of works for the English translation; however, from the editions that I own there is no one translation used, and the later translations often draw on bits of earlier translations, this seems to negate the idea of creating a translated work and assigning a translator relationship. Next, I thought that I could add the translator relation to the recording (in a similar fashion to an arranger) hence retaining the translator relationship, but the translator relationship is not available for a recording! Other than adding an annotation, ideas on how to proceed are welcomed.
Does the booklet give more detail than the back of the release? Because the back of the release clearly states that this reverend Troutbeck is the translator.
I would still create a translated work, even if you don’t assign a specific translator - different language is supposed to always mean different work.
My thought exactly. Different language is supposed to always mean different work.
Thanks for the replies. I understand that the style guidelines indicate a new work should be created for a translation; it is the implications that I am worried about. Each time a translation of the St. Matthew Passion is created it is circa 90 new works. Given that the Troutbeck translation is old it is unlikely to arise in any new recording. I have in my possession three scores of the SMP each with an English translation, each with different translators, none of them this particular Troutbeck translation.
I was hoping to create English translation works, and associate the translator, Troutbeck, with the recording. This would remove the requirement to create a new set of works when another release, with a different English translator comes along. However MB does not enable this.
It appears that MB is anomalous in permitting a general “catch all” arrangement work, with the arranger associated with the recording, and not permitting a general “English translation” work with the translator associated with the recording.
As a result, I can either:
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create a new set of English translation works specifying Troutbeck as the translator, these works are unlikely to be required again;
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create a new set of English translation works with no translator, and referring to Troutbeck (weakly) in an annotation on the release.
Which of these options, or other solution is preferred?
I don’t have the booklet, and I couldn’t find one online, just the covers
Option one, obviously. You never know if this Troutbeck turns out to be very interesting in the future. 
At the very least, translating the whole of the Matthäus Passion is a momentous task, so he earned the credits.
Adding all these relationships is a huge task too of course, maybe one of the resident userscript wizards could write something to make this a lot easier? An automated process to create a translated work with sub-works and all the relevant relationships would be useful quite often.