The Risk of Translation
Migration is destructive. Every time you convert a Word Perfect document to a PDF, or a .MOV file to an .MP4, you lose something (formatting, metadata, quality). This is known as "Generational Loss." Migration is a calculated risk: is the loss of fidelity worth the gain in accessibility?
Field Notes
Normalization: A specific type of migration where archives convert all incoming files to a single standard format (e.g., converting all emails to XML). It simplifies preservation but destroys the "Frictional Data" of the original Source File.
The Ship of Theseus: If you migrate a file 10 times over 50 years, is it still the same file? Migration preserves the informational content but transforms the digital artifact.