When we talk about the history of translation, we think of world history, the evolution of humankind, the first writings and the deciphering of the languages that led, over time, to today’s societies and cultures. There are so many theories, philosophies and names that we almost inevitably end up on the road to the “Tower of Babel”, that much-evoked biblical and mythological crossroads where the idea of multilingualism, and the problems that come with it, first appeared. The idea of Babel’s confused languages may be more of an allegory, a symbol of the need for exchange and communication that comes with cultural diversification.
A few decisive steps in the past
Around 2000 BC, the Epic of Gilgamesh was partially translated into Asian languages. Moving quickly through the Middle Ages, from the 5th to the 15th century, we can single out a few turning points. First, scholars of the Arab world translated the philosophical works of the Greeks. In time, Latin translations of the Arabic versions were made. In religious terms, in the 3rd century BC, 70 scholars of the time translated the Old Testament into Greek for the first time. This translation of the Bible thus became the basis for editions in other languages. With major technological advances such as the invention of printing, the first printed book was the Latin version of the Bible.
Industrialization changed the world and, with it, the way of life of people in every part of the globe. On the threshold of the industrial revolution that began in England in the 18th century and spread during the 19th century to Belgium, Germany, northern France, the United States and Japan, we can already speak of the beginnings of a translation industry. Around the middle of the 18th century, the first dedicated schools and the first professional training associations appeared; in other words, translating became recognized as a specialized profession.
The arc across time
Chronologically, countless “bridges” had to be thrown between different cultures and languages. This unification, in a huge leap across time, brings us to the present. Today, when we talk about translation, we are already talking about a huge industry. Every translation company is a link in a whole chain that makes the mechanism work optimally at a global level.
Now that the universe has moved onto the internet, there is a growing need for translation services. Market demands keep rising: website translation, marketing material, documentation and training brochures, software, multimedia manuals, art, literature and much more. Translation has been and will be used in every field: political and social relations, tourism, science, philosophy, medicine, information technology… and the list remains open.