To write or not to write Shakespeare

I have discovered that I have no middle gear. When I first started out at WIPO, one of the things that I was, repeatedly, told was that we aren't writing Shakespeare. This isn't too say that we don't try and turn out clear and concise writing. Rather it's a recognition of the fact that sometimes you just have to accept a less than terrific phrase, sentence, etc. This can be due to some of the restrictions I mentioned in a previous post or because we don't want to be too liberal in our translation. It's just something we have to deal with.

I can't. I tried but I can't. The times that I tried it felt so much like doing half a job that I was ashamed of myself. I can do my best or I can do nothing. For me, there is no middle ground. And so, I agonise and sweat and swear over every phrase and term until I'm satisfied I can't do anymore or until I run out of time, and then I hand it in certain in the knowledge that it is absolute rubbish but that I, at least, can't do any better. I know that the likely audience probably doesn't care about this sort of thing, so long as they can understand it easily, and I have no illusions about my writing ability but I can't see any reason why I shouldn't try for Shakespeare. I mean, if you don't do your best, why do it at all?