History and Translation

Lecture programme

1) European History of Translation

2) Chinese History of Translation

3) Methodological Issues

European History of Translation Practice and Translation Theory

• The Romans

Cicero (106-43 BC)

Non verbum de verbo, sed sensum exprimere de sensu (express not word for word, but sense for sense)

Bible Translation

• St Jerome’s Bible in Latin commissioned 384 AD.

• Early English bibles: John Wycliff (1380-1384); William Tyndales’ New Testament printed 1525.

• Luther 1521 New Testament, 1534 Old Testament.

Medieval Era

• Emergence of European vernaculars from 10th century. No clear distinction between original writing, reworking, translation.

• 8th -10th centuries: Baghdad.

• 12th century: Toledo school, Spain.

16th Century

• Impact of invention of printing press.

• Early theories of translation: Etienne Dolet (1509-46): 5 principles for the translator.

17th Century

• French classicism: les belles infidèles

Perrot d’Ablancourt (1606-1664)

• English: John Denham (1615-69)

Abraham Cowley (1618-67)

John Dryden (1631-1700)

18th Century

• Metaphors from art.

• Alexander Tytler, 1791, The Principles of Translation.

Three basic principles.

19th Century

• German school influential

eg. Goethe (1749-1832)

Schleiermacher (1768-1834)

Translation for cultural development;

translation as a sub-language.

• Romanticism: the nature of translating.

• Influence in England: foreignizing.

Methodological Issues

• What to study: an individual translator/theorist; a translation school/movement;networks

What aspects to focus on:description of context; causal hypotheses; relation between practice and theory

How to study

biographical study;

study of translations;

study of statements about translation;

lists of translations;

publishers’ statistics;

critical analysis of literature.