History of Hebrew Translation

The History of Hebrew Translationliterary work into Hebrew. Traditional apologetics
Hebrew is a member of the Semitic family ofwere replaced by a conscious effort to highlight
languages. It is hard to imagine a linguisticthe power and versatility of the language. Yet,
structure more different from the Latin languagethe language model available to translators was
group. It’s written from right to left,that of Old Testament. Given that Hebrew
spoken in a frenzy of throaty soundsEnlightenment made its début in Germany,
we’d be hard-pressed to repeat, and itsthe local culture supplied texts and new models,
alphabet and grammar seem unfathomable to anespecially since the Enlightenment also encouraged
English speaker. It may surprise many to learnthe mastery of German. The evolution of Hebrew
that modern Hebrew is a product of centuries oftranslation during this time had an enormous
European language influence on ancient Hebrew.impact on the development of modern Hebrew.
Yet, even today, Hebrew is used as the language
of religious rites, having retained the prestige ofThe Revival period of Hebrew translation
the ‘Holy Tongue’. Much like theDuring the nineteenth century, the cultural center
use of the language itself, translation into Hebrewgradually moved out of Germany and into the
has been sporadic, marked by a series of revivalsSlavic region. In the 1800s, Russian culture had a
which coincided with Jewish migration to newstrong effect on the ongoing evolution of Hebrew.
territories.It gradually replaced the German influences, and
Hebrew translation in ancient timeswas to dominate the Hebrew culture for
The most famous work supposedly originallygenerations. This period, known as the Revival,
written in Hebrew is the Bible. Yet, the Oldhad shaped Hebrew into the new Russified
Testament reveals a number of passages withparadigm. Russian became the main source of
clear traces of translation. Later on, in Israel andtexts translated into Hebrew. For the first time, a
Egypt, where the Jews had settled, translationkind of simulated spoken Hebrew has emerged in
from Hebrew into Aramaic and Greek becameprose fiction, to aid the translation of the new
popular, to make the Scriptures available to theliterature.
less learned. Contemporary literature containsModern trends of Hebrew translation in Israel
many observations on the nature of translationWith the rise of Zionism and Jewish immigration to
and its inferior status in the Jewish culture of thePalestine, the Hebrew cultural center began to
time.shift back to the ancient homeland. Then, in the
Hebrew translation in the Middle Agestwentieth century, a similar group of immigrants
Following Jewish migration to Christian territories infrom Eastern Europe established a new
the twelfth century, translation into Hebrewcommunity in the United States. Many writers and
resumed in medieval Europe. Interest in thetranslators fluent in English later moved to
achievements of Jewish scholarship resulted inPalestine, where English was widely used as a
numerous translations of Hebrew ‘workslegacy of the British mandate. English soon
of wisdom’, or scientific texts. Jews werebecame the main source language in Hebrew
reluctant to practice ‘literary’translation. Yet, only recently the full gamut of
translation, considered inherently inferior. Medievalexisting linguistic options began to appear in
translators felt obliged to ask the reader'sHebrew translations.
forgiveness for indulging in the act of translatingToday, Hebrew translators have risen to a new
Hebrew. The problematic image of translation inlevel of professionalism. Bar-Ilan University was
traditional Jewish culture stems from long-standingthe first to offer a specialized program in Hebrew
resistance to translating the Hebrew Scriptures.translation. In 1973, Tel Aviv University established
The Evolution of Hebrew Translation during thea Chair of Translation Theory where research and
Enlightenmentpublications continue to evolve the art of Hebrew
The Hebrew Enlightenment movement in thetranslation. Other institutions promote the
eighteenth century brought Jewish culture closertranslation of Hebrew literature into other
to the achievements of Central European cultures.languages. Various awards are offered to
It coincided with yet another territorial shift: theencourage translation into Hebrew. The new Israeli
cultural center moved to Germany. There wasTranslators Association, established in 1980, has
virtually no chance of catching up with the civilizedbeen affiliated with FIT since 1987.
world without translating major scientific and