Roman Theories of Translation: Surpassing the Source (Routledge Monographs in Classical Studies)

For all that Cicero is often seen as the father of translation theory, his and other Roman comments on translation are often divorced from the complicated environments that produced them. The first book-length study in English of its kind, Roman Theories of Translation: Surpassing the Source explores translation as it occurred in Rome and presents a complete, culturally integrated discourse on its theories from 240 BCE to the 2nd Century CE. Author Siobhán McElduff analyzes Roman methods of translation, connects specific events and controversies in the Roman Empire to larger cultural discussions about translation, and delves into the histories of various Roman translators, examining how their circumstances influenced their experience of translation. This book illustrates that as a translating culture, a culture reckoning with the consequences of building its own literature upon that of a conquered nation, and one with an enormous impact upon the West, Rome's translators and their theories of translation deserve to be treated and discussed as a complex and sophisticated phenomenon. Roman Theories of Translation enables Roman writers on translation to take their rightful place in the history of translation and translation theory. For all that Cicero is often seen as the father of translation theory, his and other Roman comments on translation are often divorced from the complicated environments that produced them. The first book-length study in English of its kind, Roman Theories of Translation: Surpassing the Source explores translation as it occurred in Rome and presents a complete, culturally integrated discourse on its theories from 240 BCE to the 2ndCentury CE. Author Siobhán McElduff analyzes Roman methods of translation, connects specific events and controversies in the Roman Empire to larger cultural discussions about translation, and delves into the histories of various Roman translators, examining how their circumstances influenced their experience of translation. This book illustrates that as a translating culture, a culture reckoning with the consequences of building its own literature upon that of a conquered nation, and one with an enormous impact upon the West, Rome's translators and their theories of translation deserve to be treated and discussed as a complex and sophisticated phenomenon. Roman Theories of Translation enables Roman writers on translation to take their rightful place in the history of translation and translation theory. ith an enormous impact upon the West, Rome's translators and their theories of translation deserve to be treated and discussed as a complex and sophisticated phenomenon. Roman Theories of Translation enables Roman writers on translation to take their rightful place in the history of translation and translation theory "For all that Cicero is often seen as the father of translation theory, his and other Roman comments on translation are often divorced from the complicated environments that produced them. The first book-length study in English of its kind, Roman Theories of Translation: Surpassing the Source explores translation as it occurred in Rome and presents a complete, culturally integrated discourse on its theories from 240 BCE to the 2nd Century CE. Author Siobhán McElduff analyzes Roman methods of translation, connects specific events and controversies in the Roman Empire to larger cultural discussions about translation, and delves into the histories of various Roman translators, examining how their circumstances influenced their experience of translation."-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction: Situating Roman Translation 12 1 Language, Interpreters, and Official Translations in the Roman World 28 2 Livius Andronicus, Ennius, and the Beginnings of Epic and Translation in Rome 50 3 Making a Show of the Greeks: Translation and Drama Third- and Second-Century Rome 72 4 Cicero's Impossible Translation: On the Best Type of Orator and Beyond 107 5 Late Republican and Augustan Poets on Translation: Catullus, Horace, Lucretius, and Germanicus Caesar 133 6 The Post-Ciceronian Landscape of Roman Translation Theory 168 Conclusion: A Roman Theory of Translation? 198 Appendix: Roman Terminology for Translation 200 Notes 208 Bibliography 248 Index 274 Language, Interpreters, And Official Translations In The Roman World -- Livius Andronicus, Ennius, And The Beginnings Of Epic And Translation In Rome -- Making A Show Of The Greeks: Translation And Drama In Third- And Second-century Rome -- Cicero's Impossible Translation: On The Best Type Of Orator And Beyond -- Late Republican And Augustan Poets On Translation: Catullus, Horace, Lucretius, And Germanicus Caesar -- The Post-ciceronian Landscape Of Roman Translation Theory -- Conclusion: A Roman Theory Of Translation?. By Siobhán Mcelduff. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [237]-261) And Index.