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Do you ever translate from Ancient languages (Latin, etc.)?
Thread poster: Javier Herrera (X)
Javier Herrera (X)
Javier Herrera (X)
Spanish
Jun 25, 2004

I'm just wondering. Some people have Latin on their profiles. I can't imagine how they gets assignments with an ancient language. It's difficult enough to find them with modern ones. I love Latin, I wouldn't mind translating from it.
This new forum is a great idea.
Best regards,
Javier

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2004-06-26 21:26]


 
Colin Brayton
Colin Brayton  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:29
Arabic to English
+ ...
Death and Graduation Jun 27, 2004

I have sometimes accepted small jobs translating university diplomas (required for transfer of credentials to American universities) and, oddly, Eastern European autopsy reports, which for some reason (I think it may be in Poland only) are written in awful, awful Latin. And I once had a job for a client that had a manuscript facsimile to translate: a book found by a grandfather in Germany during the second war. However, the amount of paleographic work was stupendous, and the client would not pay... See more
I have sometimes accepted small jobs translating university diplomas (required for transfer of credentials to American universities) and, oddly, Eastern European autopsy reports, which for some reason (I think it may be in Poland only) are written in awful, awful Latin. And I once had a job for a client that had a manuscript facsimile to translate: a book found by a grandfather in Germany during the second war. However, the amount of paleographic work was stupendous, and the client would not pay a university expert to transcribe the thing, so I wound up politely walking away. And I have tutored on Vergil for high school Latin AP examinations. Otherwise, it's not a terribly lucrative skill. I enjoy parsing Lucretius to myself once in a while (ruda indigestaque moles).Collapse


 
Rob Albon
Rob Albon  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:29
Japanese to English
+ ...
How about Biblical Greek translation? Jun 28, 2004

Does anyone do Biblical Greek translation? I imagine that is a fairly active field, but then, I suppose most translation is done by a few well known scholars...

 
Adam Bartley
Adam Bartley  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 20:29
Member (2011)
Latin to English
+ ...
Byzantine Greek Jun 29, 2004

I have a client at the moment for whom I translate a Byzantine author who wrote is what is essentially Classical Greek and for which there is no complete English translation. I count myself very lucky to have it. The text isn't the sort of thing I would read normally, but I figure that it expands my research palate a little, too.

And, yes, I've done a number of testamurs, diplomae and the like for pocket change.

Rob Albon wrote:

Does anyone do Biblical Greek translation? I imagine that is a fairly active field, but then, I suppose most translation is done by a few well known scholars...


 
Flavio Ferri-Benedetti
Flavio Ferri-Benedetti
Switzerland
Local time: 10:29
Member (2003)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
Of course there is work in/from Latin Jun 30, 2004

Hello there

Well, yes, I don't get as much Latin jobs as Italian and Spanish jobs, but I do get some. Mostly university diplomas, little texts into Latin for divulgative aims, tattoos, lists of words... title and qoutes...

Definitely not a dead language. But that's another discussion.

Flavio


 
Javier Herrera (X)
Javier Herrera (X)
Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Interesting Jun 30, 2004

Thanks for your replies. I knew Latin was a working language for some people but couldn't imagine how come.

 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 10:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
Hieroglyphs Jul 13, 2004

Would you believe, there is a market for names on a cartouche like the Pharaohs had?

 
Mark Oliver
Mark Oliver  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:29
Indonesian to English
+ ...
Old Javanese too! Jul 30, 2004

I even had a Kawi-->English (Old Javanese) job once, but don\'t expect that to happen again any time soon.

 
Krzysztof Laskowski
Krzysztof Laskowski
Local time: 10:29
English to Polish
+ ...
Latin lives May 3, 2005

I did translate some English legal documents into Latin. It was quite an incredible experience. I had done some translations during my studies (there is still an obligation to learn to translate Polish in Latin), but after months of repose from Latin, I had to return to dictionaries and what's much more fascinating and frustrating, to moulding modern Latin words from other languages. I got imbued into Latin as far as possible, though I had specialised in Ancient Greek and had written MA thesis o... See more
I did translate some English legal documents into Latin. It was quite an incredible experience. I had done some translations during my studies (there is still an obligation to learn to translate Polish in Latin), but after months of repose from Latin, I had to return to dictionaries and what's much more fascinating and frustrating, to moulding modern Latin words from other languages. I got imbued into Latin as far as possible, though I had specialised in Ancient Greek and had written MA thesis on Lucianus. Amazing and exhausting experience, I tell you.Collapse


 
Deschant
Deschant
Local time: 09:29
Imbued into Latin May 4, 2005

Nergal wrote:
I got imbued into Latin as far as possible(...). Amazing and exhausting experience, I tell you.


When I was in the last year of high school (I had already decided that I wanted to study Classics), I decided to improve my "active" Latin (in Spain, Latin and Ancient Greek are usually taught as passive languages, i.e., students are not required to translated INTO them, or at least it's not very common) and started writing a diary in Latin. Quite challenging, since the life of a teenager usually involves lots of words and concepts that Cicero never happened to know.


 
Flavio Ferri-Benedetti
Flavio Ferri-Benedetti
Switzerland
Local time: 10:29
Member (2003)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
Latine! May 4, 2005

Eva Moreda wrote:
and started writing a diary in Latin. Quite challenging, since the life of a teenager usually involves lots of words and concepts that Cicero never happened to know.


Hi Eva!

That's great! I also wanted to study Classics, but I was not allowed by my parents because I would have had to move to another city (Valencia). I studied Translation Studies instead

But Latin and Greek will always be my main passion. Can't stop buying books, grammars and such...

Flavio


 
Javier Herrera (X)
Javier Herrera (X)
Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
I'm longing to see... May 4, 2005

Eva Moreda wrote:

Nergal wrote:
I got imbued into Latin as far as possible(...). Amazing and exhausting experience, I tell you.


When I was in the last year of high school (I had already decided that I wanted to study Classics), I decided to improve my "active" Latin (in Spain, Latin and Ancient Greek are usually taught as passive languages, i.e., students are not required to translated INTO them, or at least it's not very common) and started writing a diary in Latin. Quite challenging, since the life of a teenager usually involves lots of words and concepts that Cicero never happened to know.



La Volanta in Latin (and Galician). Quite a challenge. The title seems daunting enough. I also did some Latin, and am fluent in Galician when I'm very drunk, but that's another story.

[Edited at 2005-05-04 10:13]


 
Michael Putman
Michael Putman  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 03:29
Member (2008)
Latin to English
+ ...
Yes Jul 18, 2005

Yes.

I've produced a translation of (pseudo?) John Dee's "Tuba Veneris" for Trident Books, am currently working on a translation of pseudo-Roger Bacon's "De Nigromancia" for the same publisher, and have interested another publisher in a translation of another Latin "grimoire" of the 15th century.

All of these are texts relating to magic or alchemy; if this sort of literature is your speciality, you can find many, many MSS sitting under 400 years of dust, untranslated be
... See more
Yes.

I've produced a translation of (pseudo?) John Dee's "Tuba Veneris" for Trident Books, am currently working on a translation of pseudo-Roger Bacon's "De Nigromancia" for the same publisher, and have interested another publisher in a translation of another Latin "grimoire" of the 15th century.

All of these are texts relating to magic or alchemy; if this sort of literature is your speciality, you can find many, many MSS sitting under 400 years of dust, untranslated because academics have until very recently ignored them. There is, however, a niche market for this sort of thing.

For something completely different, I may be part of the team translating a 1640's Latin historical text written by an Irish priest. It is a huge work (3,500 pages +) and covers the history of the Counter-Reformation in Ireland. We'll see if they like my sample.

Granted, though, my situation is probably unusual, and in any case I hope to master German as soon as I can to really get into the business.
Collapse


 
Adam Bartley
Adam Bartley  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 20:29
Member (2011)
Latin to English
+ ...
Cork Jul 18, 2005

Have you been in touch with the Neo-Latin texts project at the University College, Cork? Try contacting them (Perhaps John Barry at first) if that is the sort of thing you're looking to work on, as they may provide you with some valuable contacts/information/opportunities. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who can pick up some money from the ancient languages! Do put some energy into the German, too. In this field, it will pay big dividends.

Cheers,

Adam Bartley

putman9 wrote:

For something completely different, I may be part of the team translating a 1640's Latin historical text written by an Irish priest. It is a huge work (3,500 pages +) and covers the history of the Counter-Reformation in Ireland. We'll see if they like my sample.

Granted, though, my situation is probably unusual, and in any case I hope to master German as soon as I can to really get into the business.




 
Alvaro Rollan
Alvaro Rollan
Greek to Spanish
+ ...
Latin / greek translations Jul 23, 2005

Hi everyone! I didn't know I could also find clients and wroks on ancient - byzantne Greek or latin translations, I'm a university expert on that field, and since now I've been working on modern greek translations so I wonder if you all could tell me more about jobs on this field.
Thank you all.


 
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Do you ever translate from Ancient languages (Latin, etc.)?






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