Translation is an activity that aims at conveying meaning or meanings of a given linguistic discourse from one language to another. Translation can be defined in terms of sameness of meaning across languages. According to some researchers, there can be no absolute correspondence between languages and hence no fully exact translations. Translation at some level is always possible, however, there are times when interlocutors are aware that they do not mean the same by particular phrases. Meaning is formed on each occasion of linguistic interaction and is therefore unique and not replicable. Therefore, a translation can never ‘mean’ the same as the source text. But this does not matter, because practice ensures that translators ‘get away with’ translating sufficiently well sufficiently often.
Different theories surround translation throughout history, which gives insight into how, when, and where translation has been used. First, the word "translation" was derived from a Latin phrase that means "to bring or carry across." Second, another explaining phrase is "metaphrasis," which was derived from Ancient Greek, meaning "to speak across." Finally, from the word metaphrasis, the word metaphrase was derived to mean "word for word translation".
History of the First Known Translations
It is said that translation was done in the Mesopotamia era, where Gilgamesh (Sumerian poem) was translated into the Asian language. Other ancient translation works include Buddhist monks translating Indian texts into Chinese.
Famous Translators in History
While most translators were hidden characters, several people paved the way for translation that allowed some of the greatest contributions to disseminating knowledge and ideas throughout the ages. Some translators were unnamed because translation work was dangerous at the time. Some lost lives because of translating, for instance, William Tyndale, who translated the Bible into the English language. He was executed in 1536 in Holland.
Other famous translators include Constance Garnett, who translated several Russian classics such as Tolstoy and Gogol into English in the 19th century. There's also Xuanzang, a Chinese monk who was credited for translating Indian Buddhist texts into the Chinese language.
Modern Translation
Printing Press and Its Impact on Translation and Language Usage
Before the introduction of the printing press, when few people could read, most written texts were in Latin. The printing press, though, had a profound impact on language use and people's literacy. The use of Latin declined as texts could now be translated and even published in different local languages, with more people getting a chance to learn and read.
The Early Professional Translation
In the early professional translation, there was little regard for translation accuracy. This was the period of translation 'adaptation', as there was still no accuracy in the translation of individual words. For example, when a translator did not understand a word's meaning when translating, they would skip it entirely. This gave the translators a lot of control over their audiences, since they ended up shaping the texts that the people read.
Translation Studies in the Academic Discipline
Studying translation in the academic discipline became a concept around the 1950s, when institutions were introduced. The institutions allowed cross-cultural interactions and knowledge sharing where people from different languages gathered to learn how to translate.
Now, machine translation (MT) has been widely adopted to enhance and ease translation, with translators worldwide being aided by computers. It involves the application of language science and computers to the development of translation. It is the computerized system responsible for attaining translations either with or without human assistance.
Translation and the Globalization of the Economy
Due to the industrial revolution, the rapid development of the economy evolved into new machinery that allowed swifter and easier production of texts, creating the need for companies to translate and enter into foreign markets. Tracing back to the 18th century, translation helped globalize the economy, with many businesses benefitting from formalized translation services. The development of machine translation and the internet has completely revolutionized the ability to translate, access, and understand documents worldwide.
Translation in Society Today
Today, translators now have several tools, such as the internet and laptops at their disposal to aid in the translation process. Translation services have also become of massive importance in society, as the world becomes increasingly interconnected through the economy, education, sharing of knowledge, and trade.
Seeing how far translation has come through the years, we can gain an appreciation for the strenuous translation work done by the early translators in history. In addition, we're glad for the more accurate and widely available translations that we have today. We thank all the translators that work hard to keep the world moving forward.