2. Prehistory of European interpretation and translation.

For as far back as we can see, man has needed to communicate; so the origin of translation is closely intertwined with that of language itself. It’s no coincidence that the oldest myth about translation is that of the Tower of Babel. Virtually upon the tower’s destruction, man needed a language industry; so translation can be seen as an enterprise in building, the building of meaning.

Translation is integrally related to reading and writing culture. It is a writing art and is as old as writing itself. In Ancient Greece and Rome, texts were translated; the scope of economic and cultural exchange required the work of translators. What’s more, in Rome, every educated man had to know how to translate! But it was really with the conversion of the West to Christianity that translation began to convey identity, that it had to become organized... become an industry of sorts! A real school of translation was created in Toledo, where documents were translated from Greek and Hebrew, but especially Arabic, since the House of Wisdom (A distant ancestor of the Translation Bureau!) in Baghdad had translated numerous works into that language, often the only copies then available. And what can be said about the monasteries of the Middle Ages? Weren’t they somewhat like translation firms? The work they produced paved the way for the renaissance of culture!

The first systematic analyses of language were based on translation, and it was thanks to the work of translators that national literatures were able to develop. At a certain point, translation even provided an opportunity to be unfaithful... And who said translators were boring? In fact, they know how to translate for the times, and it was with that in mind that the industry began to come together in the 18th century... The translation industry no longer served strictly people and faith, it also strove to serve culture.

In a country like Canada, translation, terminology and language analysis are nothing new. And since our country is continuing to develop, the language industry, like it, is resolutely focused on the future.

AILIA is a link with History... Today, we are even writing it.

3. Translation and interpretation in ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria.

Translation in ancient Egypt

Now of the Egyptians there are seven classes, and of these one class is called that of the priests, and another that of the warriors, while the others are the cowherds, swineherds, shopkeepers, interpreters, and boatmen. This is the number of the classes of the Egyptians, and their names are given them from the occupations which the follow. (Herodotus Histories 2.164)

Egyptian hieroglyphic meaning “interpreting”

They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. (Genesis 42)

Rosetta Stone,bearing the first known bilingual text. The inscription on the Rosetta Stone records a decree that was issued at Memphis in 196 BCE on behalf of King Ptolemy V.

The decree appears in three texts: ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic script (used in everyday speech), and ancient Greek.

Translation in Assyria and Babylon

The Sumerian language of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) is the earliest known written language Sumerians wrote in cuneiform on clay tablets bilingual cuneiform dictionaries of Sumerian and Akkadian (1800-1600 B.C.)

In ancient Assyria and Babylonia there was a regular board of interpreters working at court. During the war the interpreters accompanied the king together with scribes and other officers.