Task (3)
25th October 2021
Andreia Seixas 148946
Andreia Pinto 156283
Sibylle Marto 154210
Bruno Alfaiate 156286
Andreia Saraiva 156295
Débora Fernandos 155552
Carolina Batista 155712
Beatriz Moreira 158623
The author of the text: St. Jerome
Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (c. 342 – c. 347) was a biblical translator and a priest. He is well knowns for his Vulgate translation of the Bible into Latin
Born in Dalmatia → goes to Rome as boy → taught by Aelius Donatus, foremost grammarian of the time.
Famous dream 375 → accused by God of being a Ciceronian and not a Christian; symbolises his internal conflict Classical leanings towards free-ranging translation
After the dream → became a hermit, learned Hebrew
Then continued his studies and translations of theological texts
382 → goes back to Rome and becomes secretary of the Pope Damasus, where he began a new translation of the Bible,
Summary of the text
(Letter to Pammachius)
It was a letter on the best method of translation. It was written around 396 AD by St. Jerome to Pammachius. It’s considered the magna Carta of translators. He preferred sense for sense translation.
Word for word translation is absurd. If anything is changed in the word-order/language - abdicates responsibility of translating.
St. Jerome justified his translation methods by referring to the translation of sacred scriptures as examples for declaring his preference of sense for sense translation over word for word.
Your views
The criticism towards his work was unjustified.
Most translators today would agree to his views on translation.
Word for word translation is highly inefficient and often nonsensical in literary texts (here, theological texts) as languages evolve differently.