Translation

Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text — and the production of a new, equivalent text in another language — called the target text, or the translation.

History

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Translation of religious texts

The translation of religious works has played an important role in world history. For instance the Buddhist monks who translated the Indian sutras into the Chinese language would often skew the translation to better adapt to China's very different culture. Thus notions such as filial piety were stressed.

Related Topics:
India - Sutra - Chinese language - China - Filial piety

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For many centuries, translation in the West was almost exclusively confined to the Christian Bible.

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One of the first instances of recorded translation activity in the West was the rendition of the Old Testament into Greek in the third century B.C.E.; this translation is known as the Septuagint, alluding to the seventy translators (seventy-two in some versions) that were commissioned to translate the Bible on the island of Paphos, with each translator working in solitary confinement in a separate cell. Legend has it that all seventy versions were exactly identical. The Septuagint became the source text for later translations into many other languages including Latin, Coptic, Armenian, and Georgian.

Related Topics:
Old Testament - Greek - Septuagint - Bible - Paphos - Latin - Coptic - Armenian - Georgian

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St. Jerome, the patron saint of translation, is still considered one of the greatest translators in history for his work on translating the Bible into Latin. The Catholic Church used this translation (known as the Vulgate) for centuries, but even his translation met much controversy when it was released.

Related Topics:
St. Jerome - Patron saint - Latin - Catholic Church

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The Protestant Reformation saw the translation of the Bible into the local languages of Europe, an act condemned by the Catholic Church and one that had a great impact on the split between Protestantism and Catholicism.

Related Topics:
Protestant Reformation - Protestantism - Catholicism

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Martin Luther's Bible in German and the King James Bible in English had immense impacts on the religion, culture, and language of those countries.

Related Topics:
Martin Luther - German - King James Bible

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See also: Bible translations

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