Roman theories of translation: surpassing the source

277 Pages·2013·1.916 MB·English

by  McElduff, Siobhán

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For all that Cicero is often seen as the father of translation tT
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its kind, Roman Theories of Translation: Surpassing the mi re rcri
Source explores translation as it occurred in Rome and ga ee
presents a complete, culturally integrated discourse on nuF :e s
its theories from 240 BCE to the 2nd Century CE. Author are o
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Empire to larger cultural discussions about translation, L f a
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literature upon that of a conquered nation, and one with irch n
an enormous impact upon the West, Rome’s translators eria
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and their theories of translation deserve to be treated and o
discussed as a complex and sophisticated phenomenon. llectio
Roman Theories of Translation enables Roman writers on n
translation to take their rightful place in the history of surpassing the source
translation and translation theory.
Siobhán McElduff is assistant professor of Latin at the
University of British Columbia. She is the translator of S
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2011), a selection of Cicero’s political speeches, and co- b
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editor of Complicating the History of Western Translation: á
The Ancient Mediterranean in Perspective (St. Jerome, n

2011). M
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www.routledge.com
Routledge titles are available as eBook editions in a range of digital formats
ROUTLEDGE MONOGRAPHS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES
Roman Theories of Translation
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 com-
plicated environments that produced them. The fi rst 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, cultur-
ally integrated discourse on its theories from 240 BCE to the second cen-
tury CE. Author Siobhán McElduff analyzes Roman methods of translation,
connects specifi c events and controversies in the Roman Empire to larger
cultural discussions about translation, and delves into the histories of vari-
ous Roman translators, examining how their circumstances infl uenced 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 na-
tion, 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 his-
tory of translation and translation theory.
Siobhán McElduff is assistant professor of Latin at the University of British
Columbia. She is the translator of Cicero: In Defence of the Republic (Pen-
guin Classics, 2011), a selection of Cicero’s political speeches, and co-editor
of Complicating the History of Western Translation: The Ancient Mediter-
ranean in Perspective (St. Jerome, 2011).
Routledge Monographs in Classical Studies
1 The Roman Garden 9 Dacia
Katharine T. von Stackelberg Ioana A. Oltean
2 The Eunuch in Byzantine History 10 Rome in the Pyrenees
and Society Simon Esmonde-Cleary
Shaun Tougher
11 Virgil’s Homeric Lens
3 Actors and Audience in the Edan Dekel
Roman Courtroom
Leanne Bablitz 12 Plato’s Dialectic on Woman
Equal, Therefore Inferior
4 Life and Letters in the Ancient Elena Blair
Greek World
John Muir 13 Roman Literature, Gender,
and Reception
5 Utopia Antiqua Domina Illustris
Rhiannon Evans Donald Lateiner, Barbara K. Gold
and Judith Perkins
6 Greek Magic
John Petropoulos 14 Roman Theories of Translation
Surpassing the Source
7 Between Rome and Persia Siobhán McElduff
Peter Edwell
8 Passions and Moral Progress in
Greco-Roman Thought
John T. Fitzgerald
Roman Theories of Translation
Surpassing the Source
Siobhán McElduff
First published 2013
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2013 Taylor & Francis
The right of Siobhàn McElduff to be identifi ed as the author of the editorial
material has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McElduff, Siobhan.
Roman theories of translation : surpassing the source / by Siobhan
McElduff.
pages cm. — (Routledge monographs in classical studies)
1. Translating and interpreting—Rome. 2. Greek literature—
Translations. 3. Greek language—Translating. I. Title. II. Series:
Routledge monographs in classical studies.
PA3010.M38 2013
478'.0281—dc23
2012046954
ISBN: 978-0-415-81676-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-58861-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For Audrey Kaufman and Danny McElduff
Page Intentionally Left Blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Situating Roman Translation 1
1 Language, Interpreters, and Offi cial Translations in the
Roman World 17
2 Livius Andronicus, Ennius, and the Beginnings of Epic
and Translation in Rome 39
3 Making a Show of the Greeks: Translation and Drama in
Third- and Second-Century Rome 61
4 Cicero’s Impossible Translation: O n the Best Type of Orator
and Beyond 96
5 Late Republican and Augustan Poets on Translation: Catullus,
Horace, Lucretius, and Germanicus Caesar 122
6 The Post-Ciceronian Landscape of Roman Translation Theory 157
Conclusion: A Roman Theory of Translation? 187
Appendix: Roman Terminology for Translation 189
Notes 197
Bibliography 237
Index 263
Page Intentionally Left Blank
Acknowledgments
Writing this book has been a long process; it would certainly never have
been completed without the help and patience of many, many people and or-
ganizations (none of them, of course, are responsible for any of its failings).
First I owe enormous thanks to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada for providing aid in bringing the book to the fi nal stages
for the press; without their assistance this would have taken even longer to
produce. I cannot thank enough Liz Young, who nobly read the entire book
in manuscript and provided many valuable suggestions and criticisms along
the way, for her help and encouragement; Enrica Sciarrino has been there
from almost the beginning, and collaborating with her on other projects has
added so much this work. Tom Habinek not only chaired my thesis commit-
tee and endured far too many rough drafts, but has also been a source of im-
mense help and insightful advice since then; Lisa Bitel and Tony Boyle made
certain that it got off to a good start. Amy Richlin not only constantly cheer
led and motivated, but also generously offered her time and criticism on por-
tions of the work. Diana Spencer has never failed in her friendship or in her
brilliance—here’s to Caesar and his missing subconscious! Dania Sheldon
labored mightily to correct my errors and grammar issues; Emi Brown pro-
vided a keen set of eyes for the Latin and the bibliography. Susanna Braund,
Lisa Cooper, Leanne Bablitz, Carla Nappi, and many others at UBC listened
to ideas and provided considerable support and encouragement along the
way; audiences at UBC, the University of Southern California, the University
of Canterbury, New Zealand, and elsewhere listened to various versions of
chapters, and their questions and suggestions were invaluable throughout.
Paul Chenier suffered through the rough initial stages of my writing; my
sister, Louise Lesovitch, has had to hear far too much moaning about the
book at it progressed; both stoically have never complained. Thanks are due
also to Niall McElduff for phone conversations about Cicero. My gratitude
is due to the editors at Routledge for their help and for believing in this proj-
ect. I would also like to thank Ramus and Translation Studies for permission
to use adapted portions of “More Than Menander’s Acolyte: Terence on
Translation” and “Living at the Level of the Word: Cicero and the Inter-
preter in Ancient Rome” in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively. All translations
throughout are my own, unless otherwise noted.