Translation of Ancient Texts: The Challenges One May Face
When translating a document or content, you have to keep in mind the various challenges. Translation necessitates a thorough knowledge of both language and culture.
Translators must be familiar with both the norms of the language and the local customs of the people. Even the most seasoned professionals have experienced feelings of befuddlement and frustration.
Even the best of the best translation company come across challenges when trying to translate literature. Unlike regular texts, literature and ancient texts require the translator to convey the emotions and meanings of the words. If this is not done properly, the text loses its meaning and the message it conveys.
Hence, you can imagine the challenges one may face when trying to translate ancient texts. So, this article highlights a few of the challenges you may face while trying to translate ancient texts.
The challenges you may face when trying to translate ancient literature
Literature translation differs significantly from other types of translation. Literary translation is distinguished by the sheer magnitude of the texts involved. Taking up a translation project that spans a large number of sentences is not for the faint of heart. It’s also impossible to recreate poetry in a different language without losing the original’s beauty and spirit. Hence, if you are trying to translate ancient literature, you have to be aware of the challenges it comes with. Here are some of those challenges you need to tackle while translating literature.
Translating the structure of the Language
Every language follows its own set of rules and operates inside a defined framework. The complexity of translation is directly proportional to the framework’s complexity and singularity.
In English, a simple sentence consists of subjects, verbs, and objects, in that sequence. “She eats pizza,” for example. However, not all languages are structured in the same way. The subject comes first in Farsi, followed by the object, and then the verb. Subject pronouns are physically incorporated into the verb in Arabic. As writers of literature have the availability and the convenience of structuring sentences with liberty, it becomes difficult to translate them.
Translating Expressions
IIdiomatic phrases illustrate something by using one-of-a-kind examples or figures of speech. The literal definitions of the phrases it incorporates, for example, cannot predict the interpretation of these unusual assertions.
Many language specialists believe that idioms are the most difficult to translate. You will come across various idioms when it comes to translating ancient texts. However, there are no translating engines that can overcome the problem of translating such sentences with complete accuracy. Therefore, it is advisable to understand the inherent meaning of the sentence before translating it.
Translating the use of Sarcasm
Sarcasm generally loses its meaning when translated word-for-word into another language, which can lead to uncomfortable misunderstandings.
In theory, a publisher should remove sarcasm from the original content before translating it. However, in circumstances when such style is critical to the content needs, the publisher should make sarcastic portions stand out.
Hence, these are the various challenges one can face when translating ancient texts. Moreover, one may not be completely aware of certain words as the language might have been lost in the past. So, be aware of these challenges if you are translating ancient literature.