The History Of Translation: Ancient Greek
The history of translation has long been a topic debated by scholars of translation and translation studies. However, there is broad acceptance that translation predates the Bible. The Holy Bible tells of various languages while also providing insight into interactions between speakers from varying areas. Since the dawn of human interaction, translation has been needed. This communication could be for survival, trade or emotional purposes. The demand for translation has continued to develop, with growth in the translation movement stronger than ever.
Businesses are beginning to acknowledge the need for translation services to expand or penetrate foreign markets. Nevertheless, this article isn’t about the future of translation; rather, it is about its past. Let’s delve deeper into the history of translation.
The term “translation” originates from a Latin term that means to carry or bring across”. One relevant term that we will focus on in this article is ‘metarphrasis’. This is the ancient Greek term for “to speak across”. It is from this term that the word metaphrase was created. Metaphrase means a word for word translation. These and many other terms have been at the centre of theories relating to the history of translation. They have also helped to provide insight into where and when scholars of translation utilised this skill through the ages.
The Very First Translation
It is said that the very first record of translation was in Mesopotamia when the Sumerian poem Gilgamesh was translated into various Asian languages. This translation can be dated back to the second millennium BC. Other ancient works were translated—for example, Indian documents translated by Buddhist monks into Chinese. In later periods, roman poets would translate ancient Greek text. This translation movement in the history of translation would adapt the works to develop a form of entertainment.
The Epic of Gilgamesh survived from Ancient Mesopotamia due to its translation into southwest Asian languages. This was possible due to a longstanding tradition of translating material into various languages such as Hebrew, Anatolian, Syriac, Mesopotamian and Egyptian. Another key text of the translation studies has to be the Treaty of Kadesh. The Treaty of Kadesh was created in 1274 BCE and is a bilingual Egyptian-Hittite treatise. It is the only ancient Near Eastern treatise to have both versions survive.
It is also known that scholars of translation were employed in Rome by Horace and Cicero. These individuals and practices were utilised till the 17th century, when the translation movement developed new practices. One can argue that civilisation widely understood the findings and knowledge the Greek academics created due to the work of Arabic scholars of translation.
The works of the Greeks were taken by Arabic scholars of translation once the former got conquered. These scholars of translation studies then translated the works, creating their own versions. Their versions included philosophical, entertainment and scientific understandings. The translation movement did not stop there, as the Arabic versions were then translated into Latin. This translation movement occurred during the Middle Ages, with most of it in Spain. The culmination of the works created by ancient Greeks and translated became the foundation of the Renaissance.
History of Translation: The importance of Ancient Greek in the Translation Movement
One important icon in the translation studies and translation movement is the Rosetta Stone. It is a rock slate with an inscribed decree issued in 196 BCE in Memphis, Egypt. It was inscribed on behalf of Kind Ptolemy V. What makes this decree so special in the history of translation is that it was written in three different scripts. The top part of the text is written in Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The middle part of the text is written in Demotic script, and the bottom part is written in Ancient Greek script.
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone happened in 1799 during a Napoleonic expedition to Egypt. Since that time, it has been on display at the British Museum in London. The Rosetta Stone’s top part helped provide a deeper understanding of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, furthering translation studies. The appearance of Ancient Greek in the stone helped scholars of translation studies comprehend the context behind the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The need for translation became much greater due to the development of spiritual theories and religious texts. With the development of religion, the desire to spread the word required a way to communicate with others. This faith encouragement meant that religious texts needed to be translated into various languages.
The history of translation states that one of the first religious texts to be translated is the Old Testament. Linguists translated it into Greek in the 3rd century BC. The translation is known as the Septuagint. It was a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. The term Septuagint originates from Septuagainta, the Latin word for seventy.
Translation’s First Mega Project in Ancient Greek
This translation is also referred to as the Ancient Greek Old Testament. In the history of translation, this was the first concerted effort to bring together various scholars of translation. 70 scholars all painstakingly converted the Hebrew text into Greek. This piece of history of translation occurred in Alexandria, Egypt.
Each translator was allowed to work in solitary confinement, and according to legend, all versions had identical translations. This Greek Bible became the basis for translations into other languages. One can say that the Greek Bible was a turning point in the history of translation.
The history of translation, especially during this time, was fraught with debate. The debate was between translation modes: word for word or sense for sense. The sense for sense term was said to be coined by St Jerome when he translated the Bible into Latin. He stated that a translator needs to translate “not word for word, but sense for sense”.
On the other hand, Cicero was famously against word for word translation. “I did not think I ought to count them [the words] out to the reader like coins, but to pay them by weight, as it were”. As a prominent writer and philosopher, he was also a translator from Greek to Latin. He viewed the work of a translator as that of an artist.
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