Translation, which literally means a carrying over or transference from one to another, and thus from one medium to another, is most commonly used to mean the rendering of one language into another. We have to underline the role of the characteristics of a good translation in the literary sense and of the influence of one literature on another throughout centuries. Undoubtedly, there were occasions when translations were produced for utilitarian purposes and not for the sake of art. It can be assumed that the original purpose of translation was to convey ideas and new facts to people who were badly informed and concerned themselves with the message rather than with the artistic value of the text.
However, a translation to be good needs something more. The translator must never rely only on the exact meaning of the words the author of the document has used. He must try to convey the spirit of the text, its overall meaning, so that the final product has the same artistic value as the original text. If Martin Luther’s Russian Translation of the Bible literally transferred the meaning of each and every word, it would be very unlikely that it would convey the true spirit of the text.Or, we can also consider translations from Russian into English. When it comes to Arabic Translation, the way Russians address people is quite different from the way English-speaking countries do. For example, in English translations of the novel, “Anna Karenina,” the Russian habit of addressing people by their first name and a patronymic is usually carried over into the English. In the Russian system of addressing people some inflexions are added to the name of the father, therefore, Vladimir, the son of Peter will be called Vladimir Petrovich. We can guess that an English speaking person will find such a way of addressing people quite exotic and strange. Therefore, the new trend in Portuguese Translation is to forego the patronymic, as it does not add anything to the art of the text.
Various media imply various difficulty of translation.. Practically impossible in poetry, it becomes easier and less arbitrary as the subject matter becomes more scientific or factual. Given that the translator is familiar with the scientific field, of course. A legal translation is considered to be much easier compared to the translation of fiction. Certainly, this requires competence and experience in the field of law. Knowlege of legal terminology and of legal system differences is a must. However, a legal translator does not need to finesse the language like a literary translator does. The communication of the exact literal meaning is more important in legal translation than the artistic value of the text and the enjoyment of the audience. Certainly, one translator can be good at translating both legal and literary texts, however, he or she must be trained and experienced in the specific set of skills each type of translation requires.
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The Latin Vulgate was dominant in Christianity through the Middle Ages. A lot of translations into other languages have been created since then. The translations of the Bible in English, in particular, have a rich and varied history of over a thousand of years.
