Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture. – Anthony Burgess

Have you ever wondered how translation came into the picture?

Before spoken words were discovered, human used to communicate through signs, symbols, gestures, and basic sound. Gradually, these sounds evolved into a complex pattern of vocal expression. The language grew and developed and became an invaluable part of any culture. Over time, people started to spread out and travel distant lands. When people from different countries, continents, area or culture started to interact with each other, the need for translation arose.

Early works

Earlier, documents were translated by hand. The process was performed by expert individuals with good bilingual abilities. They would spend months, and sometimes even years to translate a document word-for-word.

Translation of Sumerian epic Gilgamesh into Asian languages is believed to be the first known translation works. Later Buddhist monks translated Indian Sutras into Chinese.

Religious texts

It is not an exaggeration to say that religious texts pioneered the translation works. The first major translation work in the history is – translation of Hebrew Bible into Greek in the 3rd century BCE. Jews, who have dispersed all over the world, has forgotten Hebrew, their ancestral language, and needed the Bible to be translated into Greek in order to read it. This mega translation project is popularly known as ‘Septuagint’ – a name that refers to seventy translators who were commission to perform this task. Later, the Septuagint became the source text for many translation works of the Bible into multiple languages – Latin, Armenian, Georgian, Coptic, etc. No wonder why, the Bible is the most translated book in the world.

Further development

The invention of the printing machine in the fifteenth century played a significant role in the development of translation. It gave rise to early theorists of translation, like, Etienne Dolet.

The profession of translation became significant in the comprehension of historical and religious documents and texts. However, several times, it also made many translators risk their lives, for instance, the case of William Tyndale, a famous scholar, and English translator, who was executed in 1536 in Holland due to his attempts to translate the Bible into English.

Conclusion – The history and evolution of translation is pretty interesting. We are aware of many such interesting facts about translation as we area full time certified language translation agency. Need an impeccable translation of a document? Get associated with us or call us at – 888-670-3369.