Tagged "Translation"

Translation is a necessary cog in the wheel of a world where we have to operate with a multiplicity of languages. However, in spite of its recent ubiquity, we typically forget that translation is as much an art, as it is a science. As an art, it has a subjective side. Although this can be freeing with certain texts, it often leads to imprecision in others. I’ve come across this most recently while reading George Long’s translation of “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius¹. “Meditations” was originally written in Koine Greek which was in use around 2000 years ago, most famously in the New Testament². In “Meditations” there is constant reference to “universal reason” and “universe”³. As it turns out, in the original, Aurelius uses “λόγος” (logos) and “κοσμος” (cosmos)⁴ respectively⁵.