The nitty-gritty of ancient Greek translation

Ancient Greek is one of the most influential languages in the world. Although it is almost extinct, its impact cannot be forgotten. Keep reading to explore the nitty-gritty of this language.

The Greek Language has been around for as far back as the 14th century BCE. Not only has the language been around for so long, but it has also contributed to many language-related topics worldwide. As such, it is unsurprising that Greek holds important places in many sectors. 

Translation has always been an essential part of languages. It is important to spread information and acquire knowledge and ideas without language users’ restrictions. Translation also helps bridge language barriers among different cultures and societies. Hence, it is safe to conclude that translation fosters world unity and peace. 

The several application of translation worldwide is one pivotal reason for the high demand for translators, and they are always paid well. From the ancient world till date, every possible means have been adopted to recruit competent translators. And thanks to technological advancement, it is now easier to find Greek translator jobs on Jooble without leaving your comfort zone. 

Greek is one of the earliest languages to be translated, the old testament Bible has translated into the language over 2000 years ago, in the 3rd century B.C. This is unsurprising; Greek is one of the languages Jesus used to communicate in His lifetime. It is also one of the Christianity languages, as Apostle Paul spoke the language and used it to write some of his text. Therefore, Greek translation has been long and important both in ancient times and in contemporary society. 

So, in this article, we have teamed up with experts from job aggregator Jooble to discuss the origin of the Greek translation and the impact of the language. We will also walk you through how to become a Greek translator. 

Ancient Greek Translation: How It All Started

Religion is one of the biggest causes of translation in ancient times. For instance, the Bible is the most notable Greek translation. Seventy linguists translated it within 72 days. This first translation of the Bible is called the Septuagint to honor the seventy linguists that did the job. The Bible remained in Greek for a very long time until the early days of Christianity when it was translated from Greek to other Languages. However, the Greek translation didn’t start with the Bible; there were other works before then. 

The translation work is believed to start during the Mesopotamian era when the famous poem Gilgamesh was translated from the Sumerian Language to various Asian Languages. After some centuries, Arabic scholars translated academic Greek works into their language before creating their own academic texts. Roman scholars also translated ancient Greek works to use for their academics and later created their own after it.

Greek Language translation has been growing since then, with many Greek texts translated into other Languages. Greek is the origin of philosophy and literature. Therefore, it is not surprising that many Greek literature texts are translated. 

Today, Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus, making it one of the official languages of the European Union. It is ranked the richest language in the world as it has over 70 million vocabularies and over 5 million words. However, it is gathered that less than 1 million Greek words are being spoken today. Also, the language is spoken by over 13 million people worldwide.  

Top Famous Ancient Greek Translators

Translators were highly revered and well-paid in ancient times. The need for brilliance and high intelligence has been established since the inception of translation works. As such, some translators were highly rewarded in their lifetime. An example is Geoffrey Chaucer, who was rewarded with about 4 and a half liters of wine daily for the rest of his life by King Edward III. This prize was presented in 1374 as a token of the king’s appreciation of his works. 

Some other famous ancient Greek translators are:

• Theodore Alois Buckley

Theodore Alois William Buckley is an ancient Greek translator born in 1825 and died in 1856. Although Buckley did not live long, dying at the young age of thirty-one, he did some worthy literature and translation jobs. One of his works is ‘The Great Cities In The Ancient World In Their Glory And Desolation”. This literary was first published in 1852, and it lived past Buckley with new editions published in 1858,1864, 1878, and 1896. His major translation work is Homer’s Odessey. 

• Marcus Tullius Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero is a Roman Lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and statesman whose works span literature, politics, philosophy, arts, and history. Martin was born into an aristocratic family in Rome, giving him some privileges. For instance, Marcus did not only translate Latin works to Greek, but he also hired translators to convert his favorite texts between the two languages. 

• Michael Cacoyannis

Michael Caccoyannis is a lawyer turned film director with a long filmography list. He is a Greek Cypriot who has written and produced many films translated into several languages and acted in some movies. The majority of Michael’s works are rooted in classical texts. 

• Manuel Chrysoloras

Manuel Chrysoloras is one of the Byzantine Greek philosophers to whom we owe the survival of Greek Philosophical texts during the Babqariuc invasion. As a teacher of the Greek language teacher in today’s Republic of Venice and Florence, he translated many Greek texts for the use of his students and others.

The Works Of Ancient Greek Translators

Many works are translated from Greek to other languages and vice-versa. Most of these texts span various topics like philosophy, academics, literature, and religion. The reason for this is not far-fetched; Greek is one of the most largely-spoken languages in ancient times. It is also the bases of many of the subjects mentioned earlier. However, the history of many Greek translation works has been lost, and full details about them cannot be retrieved. However, we have gathered some notable ancient Greek translation works to consider. 

• The Works Of The Scholars

One of the notable early Greek translations is translating Ancient Greek Academic text into Roman. Also, Greek academic texts were used as a basis to create Roman academic texts at later dates when the old Greek empire fell. Also, Arabs picked the knowledge in these texts to create their own academic texts. Therefore, it is very safe to say that Greek translation significantly impacts early academic education. 

• The Works Of Islamic Philosophers

Greek can be called the father of philosophy. They started the art of critical reasoning to develop theories that explain the universe’s existence. Therefore, most ancient philosophical works are written in Greek, from where other people tapped to start developing their philosophy. However, most philosophical ideas started to go extinct during the middle age. The decline is due to the low literacy level during the Migration period. 

Greek philosophy works were protected and studied Byzantine Empire, making it easy for Islamic scholars Al-Farabi, Al Kindi, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushed to be able to translate the works into Arabic later. These translation works enabled Greek philosophy to re-enter the West during the high middle age. 

• The Bible

The Bible is one of the most translated texts in the world. It has been translated into over 724 languages as of September 2022. There are also close to 1000 versions available worldwide. The Bible is one of the first notable Greek works. It was translated into Greek from the original Hebrew it was written. The Greek Bible sustained people well enough until the spread of religion and the creation of pentecostal churches and other segmentation. 

• Roman Literary Works

Around 1200 BCE, Roman linguists translated poems initially written in Roman to ancient Greek. No wonder Horace and Cicero had translators just for this purpose. 

• The Rosetta Stone

The rosetta stone is one of the most iconic historical objects that contributed to the history of Greek translation. The stone contained a decree issued in 196 BCE in Egypt, discovered in 1799 during a Napolean expenditure to Egypt. The decree was written in three scripts: the Egyptian hieroglyphs at the top, the Demotic script at the middle, and the ancient Greek script at the bottom. Presenting the decree in three languages shows that translation has taken place. 

Also, the rosetta stone serves the historical purpose of helping Roman scholars to understand the Egyptian Hieroglyphs for the first time. The stone is presently on display at the British Museum, as it has been since its discovery. 

Impacts Of Ancient Greek Translation

With the Greek language having its tentacles in arts, entertainment, education, literature, philosophy, and other aspects of life, the translation works also span these areas. In return, the impacts of Greek translation have grown so large that they touch almost every aspect of life. The effect of Greek translation also resonates in many languages, cultures, and subjects. 

• It Serves As A Basis Of Roman Literature

Roman literature majorly draws its story from Greek literature. Also, the earliest works of literature written in Latin are imitations of Greek literature. For instance, the similarities of roman literature to that of its Greek counterpart can be significantly seen in Homer’s Lliad and Odessey.

Also, the first recorded Latin play staged in Rome was by Livis Andonicious. Livius is not of Roman origin but an enslaved person from Greek who his master later freed. He then went ahead to make his living as a teacher who instructs children in Latin and Greek, and later wrote the first staged play in Rome in 240 B.C. 

The Roman-Greek close relationship made it easier for them to learn from each other. This is why it is unsurprising that Roman literature was able to pick so much from its predecessor. However, Roman literature could only pick because they understood Greek literature. On the other hand, understanding is possible because of the availability of translation to convert the texts from Greek to Roman.

• Its Impact On The English Language

English is currently the most-spoken language in the world. However, English owes the development of its vocabulary to the Greek Language more than many people know. As mentioned earlier in this article, Greek and Latin had a great relationship in ancient times. Therefore, seeing a mix of the two languages is not surprising. Also, Greek is bound to loan more words to Latin as its vocabulary is extensive. With Latin being the primary communication language in ancient Europe, it is not surprising that the most widely spoken European language, English picked so much from Latin, thereby picking from Greek indirectly. 

Currently, over 150,000 English words are borrowed from the Greek Language. Also, many expressions in the English language are borrowed from both ancient Greek and modern Greek. 

• Its Effect On Modern Literature

Greek did not only affect roman literature; it affected literature in general. The Greeks were the first people to create detailed and complex literature. They are the pioneer of literature, influencing our styles of writing and literature genres. Also, many modern literature works have their backgrounds in Greek culture. For instance, paranormal fiction can be traced back to Greek mythology and African culture. However, the effect is only possible because Greek literature and history were translated into other languages for literary experts to understand and get ideas from

• Its Impact On The Christian Religion

Greek is one of the background cultures for Christianity. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Christianity has much in common with Greek culture. For instance, the common practice of anointing with holy oil in Christianity can be traced to a practice in ancient Greek culture. 

Although some scholars believe that Greek culture does not just influence Christianity, it is a reaction against it. Christianity is believed to create a cleaner religion than what was viewed as idol worshipping in Greek. However, Christianity couldn’t distance itself from the Greek religion. Despite this, it still has many things in common with it. 

Moreso, Greek is the first language the old testament Bible was translated into from its original language, Hebrew and Aramaic. The Greek language also serves as the basis for translating the Bible into over one thousand other languages. 

Conclusion

Although there is a belief that ancient Greek cannot be well-translated these days because of how much most of the language is lost, ancient Greek translation has done a lot for the world. Translation of ancient Greek has not only served as a communication purpose, but it has also fostered the development of education, literature, philosophy, and arts. However, not much is known about ancient Greek translators and their impacts. This article has detailed the impacts of ancient Greek translation. We also listed some notable Greek translation works and popular translators.