Bridging Cultures Through Language: A

Brief History of Translations

Maria Alegria Negron

In today’s globalised world, the importance of translation - and by extension, of translators - is clear. The
translation of a language into another effectively creates bridges between cultures, traditions, ways of life,
and beyond. Throughout history, people have devoted themselves to the artful practice of conveying
messages across linguistic barriers while taking care not to leave an imprint of their own voices or biases.
This has been vital for preserving knowledge, enabling communication, and cultivating cultural
exchange.

This article explores the rich history of translations through millennia, a practice that has enriched
societies’ knowledge and understanding of one another. Translation has also helped preserve cultural
heritage beyond generations and cultures, providing a vital tool for peoples to safeguard their collective
and individual identities. This, while fostering empathy and tolerance in allowing different cultures to
understand and recognise themselves in one another. As a vehicle for cultural exchange, translation has
been paramount in the shaping of human history, enabling the cooperation that has been instrumental to
our progress and innovation as a species. From its humble beginnings to its crucial role today, the tapestry
of the history of translation is rich and complex, illustrating a journey through time and space that has
shaped our world as we know it. Join us and discover why translation is so important.

Ancient Beginnings: The Dawn of Translation

Since the dawn of civilisation humans have recognised the importance and the necessity of
communication beyond linguistic barriers. Ancient peoples recognised the importance of communication
to allow not only for a peaceful coexistence, but to foster understanding between cultures that would
enable advancement through trade, diplomacy, and the sharing of knowledge. Let us remember that
languages and how we communicate - systems of communications comprehending a series of symbols,
words, gestures, and rules - have gone through their own evolutionary process where layers of
sophistication and complexity have been added through time. Therefore, it follows that delving into the
history of translation takes us through an intricate journey going back in time all the way to the cradles of
civilisations.

Ancient civilisations like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China developed rudimentary methods to enable
intercultural communication in early societies where linguistic diversity was widespread. The scribes of
ancient Mesopotamia were learned in languages like Akkadian, Sumerian, and Babylonian, with the first
acting as a sort of lingua franca in the region. Given Mesopotamia’s political structure and the fact that it
held many city-states, it is hard to overestimate how crucial a part translation played in its administration.
Nevertheless, we should mention that the history of interpretation predates the history of translation. The
orality factor of this knowledge has put its longevity at a much higher risk. However, we should not
forget that before the translation of the written word, there were translators or interpreters whose works
we cannot trace tangibly today, but to whom we are indebted.

Ancient Egyptians translated hieroglyphic bodies of text into demotic script, thus providing more
accessible information for diplomatic and administrative purposes. These efforts did not only benefit their
contemporaries, but they have allowed for religious texts and administrative records to be preserved for
centuries until our days. For example, if you have ever visited the British Museum in London, you might
have come across the Rosetta Stone. This carved and inscribed slab of stone looks simple enough, but it
has been instrumental for scholars to decipher the meaning behind ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as it
depicts a decree issued by King Ptolemy V in hieroglyphs, demotic script, and Greek. Translation in
ancient China has had a major role in the shaping of civilisation in and beyond East Asia.

Classical Antiquity: Translation’s Golden Age

The Classical Era brought about a quantum leap for humanity in terms of knowledge. In that context, it is
hardly surprising that translation efforts were ripe and instrumental to societies’ developments. These
were cultures which understood the value of bringing in foreign knowledge into their own. In Greece,
intellectuals like Plato, Aristotle, Aristophanes, and Herodotus translated works from the Egyptian,
Babylonian, and Persian originals into ancient Greek. While this was no easy feat, their work made
transcendent contributions to Hellenic culture.

It is believed that the history of literary translation began in the third century BC with Livius Andronicus’
translation of Homer’s Odyssey into Latin. This denotes not only the value held in the written word in
other languages as we have seen with ancient cultures, but also the sophistication of societies that held
literary texts in high esteem. In this act, Richard H. Armstrong identifies a paradigm for the cultures that
would come after in terms of being inherently indebted to antiquity for the shaping of their own
literatures1. We can link this to Roland Barthes’ definition of translation as a metalanguage in that one
language becomes another language’s object.

Romans believed they were the rightful heirs of Greece and its glistening history and tradition. Virgil,
Horace, and Cicero were only some of the renowned Roman translators who broke through the linguistic
barriers between Greek and Latin to lay the foundations for the dissemination of classical knowledge
through Europe. Later on, the introduction of Greek works and knowledge into Medieval Europe was
transformational. It led to seismic changes to life and thought.

Interpreting Divinity: Translation and Religious Texts

The translation of religious texts dates back thousands of years. Many founding religious scriptures were
written in what we call dead languages today, such as Aramaic, Sanskrit, ancient Hebrew, and classical
Arabic and Greek. Had these sacred words not been translated into more modern and accessible
languages, those traditions and beliefs – or at least some of them – would have been lost forever.

The Septuagint, a third century BC translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, is one of the
most notable examples of religious translation. Another important Christian translation is the Vulgate,
written by Saint Jerome in the fourth century AD as commissioned by Pope Damasus I. This aimed to
standardise and the ancient sacred word and also to increase its accessibility (hence the name, meaning
‘common’ or ‘popular’ in Latin). Later, medieval Monasteries would become hubs of intellectual activity,
and this included translation, as monks were dedicated to rendering Greek and Latin manuscripts into
contemporary languages.

The close links between power, legitimacy, and religion, gave another dimension to the relevance of
translating religious texts and controlling its reach and meaning. As empires expanded in medieval times,
1
Richard H. Armstrong, ' Classical Translations of the Classics: The Dynamics of Literary Tradition in
Retranslating Epic Poetry', in Translation and the Classic. Identity as Change in the History of Culture, ed. by
Alexandra Lianeri and Vanda Zajko(: Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 169-202.
philosophical works, sacred texts, and theological treatises became formidable tools for the powerful.
Later on, reformists and scholars like Martin Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam dedicated great efforts to
translating religious texts into modern languages not exclusively understood by the elites in what we may
call an attempt to democratise of the sacred word.

With the increasing expansion of European powers into new territories, there was a need for the
translation of religious texts into indigenous languages. There are numerous documented cases of local
interpreters who became fluent in European languages and were able to bridge the linguistic gaps between
colonisers and colonised. Missionaries and colonial administrators translated a varied body of works to
foster the cultural assimilation of the colonies and hegemony. Religion was used as a way to justify the
presence of European powers in these territories which, although their existence had not long been known
to these foreign empires, had long histories of occupation, and had developed their own languages and
means of communication.

The Modern Era: Translation in a Globalised World

Modern times have meant enormous technological leaps that have transformed how we relate to the world
around us and to one another. This extends to linguistic development and to the sophistication of
languages and their rules, and, by extension, to the ever-growing field of translation. Translation studies
grew in the twentieth century, with scholars like Mikhail Bakhtin, Walter Benjamin, and Lawrence
Venuti contributing to translation theory. Literary translation also grew exponentially as a field, following
the footsteps of centuries past, and texts were increasingly translated beyond the most popular languages.

Nowadays, translations are accessible anywhere to anyone with access to an internet-connected device.
These computer-assisted translation tools have made translations easier and faster, especially if one takes
tourism and travel into account, but also research and specific words. Nonetheless, machine translations
cannot compare to the careful work of translators who take painstaking efforts to capture nuances of
meaning, tone, and cultural context.

Conclusion
Translation can be considered both a science and an art. It is a finely crafted skill that has evolved through
millennia with a major and noble purpose, to unite humankind beyond linguistic diversity. Hence, it is a
testament to our search for human relationships beyond the surface, recognising the humanity in others no
matter our differences. At Global Lingo, we know the importance of bridging gaps between languages
and culture in a globalised landscape. This is why we offer translating services in more than 150
languages. Join us in your pursuit of linguistic goals and exploration.