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THE HISTORY OF TRANSLATION
Sh.Dadabayeva
(Senior teacher of Fer SU, PhD)
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11274556
Abstract.
This article delves into the complex history of translation,
tracing its origins and evolution through various historical periods. Translation
is defined as the process of transferring text from one language to another, with
its roots in Latin and ancient Greek. The history of translation is categorized into
four major periods: from BC to the 3rd century AD, from the 5th to the 15th
century AD, from the Renaissance to World War II, and from post-World War II
to the present day.
Key words:
translation, translator, texts, inscriptions, transferring, history.
The process of translation is complicated in its own way, it is an activity
of transferring the source from the original language - the target language to
another language - the target language, and translation is its result. The word
"translation" is derived from Latin and means "to bring" or "to carry". According
to other sources, this word comes from the ancient Greek word "metaphrasis"
(metaphrase) and it means to speak in tongues or to translate word for word.
Translation studies, like other sciences, goes back to ancient times. When talking
about its history, first of all, the bilingual Assyrian and Mesopotamian
inscriptions, the Rosette inscriptions of Ancient Egypt, and the texts translated
from Greek in Ancient Rome come to mind.
Historically, the Sumerian epic "Gilgamesh" is indicated as the source of
the first translation, but in fact, the history of translation goes back to the time
when people appeared on earth and tribes were formed. According to many
scholars, the first translators were the hunters of that time[2]. They encountered
a stranger while hunting, and were required to study and interpret the sounds
he made in order to obtain information about his abode, an early form of the
translation process. So, at first, the translation was created in oral form.
The history of translation in the West and East includes three
periods[1;1721-1723]:
1. Translation activity from BC to the third century AD. This period
includes all translations made in ancient times. For example, texts translated
from Hebrew into ancient Greek.
2. The period from the fifth to the fifteenth century AD. Many books were
translated into Latin, Greek and Arabic.
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3. The period from the Renaissance and the modern era to the Second
World War.
We considered it appropriate to add the fourth period, i.e., the period
after the Second World War to the present day, to the above periodization type.
As an example of this period, it is possible to show the modern translation
version of Abdulla Qadiri's work "O'tkan kunlar" called "Bygone days".
Historically, the earliest translation source is the Sumerian epic of
Ancient Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh. This saga has been translated into Asian
languages. Another ancient example of translation is the inscriptions on the
Rosetta Stone. The inscriptions on this stone are written in two languages -
hierographic and demotic, and it was translated into ancient Greek. There is
information that Buddhist monks in ancient China translated Indian texts into
Chinese[1].
Later, in Ancient Rome, various Greek texts were translated, especially
Greek sources were translated and harmonized into Latin. Similar sources
belong to Cicero and Horace in Rome, and their translated works were used until
the 17th century. In addition, the works of Greek scholars were translated by
Arab scholars, and this process caused these works to spread around the world.
After the Arabs conquered the Greeks, they translated the scientific works
available there and formed their own scientific works based on these works.
Later, these translated works were again translated into Latin. In addition, the
Arabs translated many works. In particular, VIII - IX, they also translated
Sanskrit texts into their own language.
In England, translation studies began in the 9th century. During the reign
of King Alfred, the process of translating Latin works into English began. During
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, translation studies was divided into two parts:
1. The period from the reign of King Henry VIII to the 17th century.
2. The period from the 17th century to the present day.
In the early period, translation studies appeared in England related to the
process of translating religious books. The first translator in the history of
England was J. Shosse, who translated religious books called "Bible" and
"Ramount of Rose" into English. The Irish scholar T. Shelton translated the
works of "Don Quixote" and "Homer", J. Dryden the works of Virgil, A. Pop
Homer's works "Iliad" and "Odyssey". During the Victorian period, the field of
translation studies was further developed. In particular, Maurica and White
together translated the oldest epic called "Beawulf". Fitzgerald translated Omar
Khayyam's works, Benjamin Plato's Republic.
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The next period of English translation studies began in the 20th century,
in which A. Vailey translated Chinese works. "John and Cross" was translated
during this period.
After the conquest of the Turanian land by the Arabs, Islamic culture
spread widely in this area. In particular, science, literature, history, theology,
philosophy, and medicine developed during this period. Many of our scholars
went to Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Byzantium to study. The works of our
scientists such as M.M. Khorazmi, Ibn Sina, I. Beruni, Termizi, N. Kubro, A.
Yassavi began to be translated into Latin in the 12th century. It is known that in
the East, translation was done freely and through interpretation[6.7.8.]. Many
works were translated at the Ma'mun Academy through this method. When
Caliph Harun al-Rashid marched to Byzantium, he brought many books from
there to Baghdad and ordered them to be translated into Arabic.
This article explores the evolution of translation across different
historical periods. It defines translation as the process of transferring text from
one language to another, tracing its etymology to Latin and Greek roots. The
history of translation is divided into four periods[4]:
1. From BC to the 3rd century AD: This period includes ancient
translations such as texts translated from Hebrew to Greek and the Sumerian
epic "Gilgamesh."
2.5th to 15th century AD: This era saw many works translated into Latin,
Greek, and Arabic.
3.Renaissance to XXII: Marked by significant translation activities,
particularly from Greek to Latin and other languages.
4.Post-XXII to present: Modern translations, exemplified by works like
"Bygone Days" by Abdulla Qadiri.
Significant early examples of translation include the Rosetta Stone inscriptions
and the translation of Indian texts by Buddhist monks in China. The document
highlights the translation activities in Ancient Rome and later in England, noting
key figures and works translated. It also mentions the spread of Islamic culture
and the translation efforts in the Islamic world, particularly through institutions
like the Ma'mun Academy.
References:
1.
Abul Hussain. History of Translation//International Journal of Science and
Research (IJSR),Volume8. – India,2019. – P.1721-1723.
2.
https://www.kwintessential.co.uk/blog/general-interest/the-history-of-
translation
SCIENCE AND INNOVATION IN THE
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3.
Dadabaeva, S. (2020, December). COMPARISON APPROACH AND ITS
EXPRESSOR LANGUAGE TOOLS. In Конференции.
4.
Dadabaeva, S. (2021). COMPARATIVE RELATIONS AND THEIR
UNIVERSAL FEATURES. Scientific journal of the Fergana State University, (1),
25-25.
5.
SH, D. S. (2023). Comparative Compound Sentence. American Journal of
Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education (2993-2769), 1(6), 257-
260.
6.
Дадабаева, Ш., & Аҳмедова, М. (2023). ҚИЁСИЙ СОДДА ГАПЛАРДА
ШАКЛ ВА МАЗМУН МАСАЛАСИ. BARQARORLIK VA YETAKCHI TADQIQOTLAR
ONLAYN ILMIY JURNALI, 3(5), 57-60.
7.
Dadabayeva, S. (2023). Comparative Lexico-Morphological Means in
Languages. Texas Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 19, 63-68.
8.
Дадабаева, Ш. (2021). ҚИЁСЛАШ МАЗМУНИНИНГ СОДДА ГАПЛАР
ДОИРАСИДА ИФОДАЛАНИШИ. Scientific journal of the Fergana State
University, (4), 45-45.
