Shout out to ancient translators, we never hear much about them

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• olafurp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Shout out to Magellan’s translator, first guy to circumnavigate the globe.

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• PugJesus@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  "He says they want livestock and grain."

  The Romans increasingly attached interpreters government commands as their empire expanded, and in the spirit of the dual-use functions of the Roman Legions, specialist soldiers used as interpreters.

  There was a certain level of privileging of Latin - even Republican/Imperial magistrates who could speak barbarian tongues were expected to use interpreters for official business, to emphasize just who the magistrate was speaking for (the ROMAN PEOPLE, of course!)

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  • Zombie@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Well, that and it’s a trick of diplomacy. It gives you some extra time to think. It’s still done today. For example, Putin when discussing in German or English.

    Not to mention if your “barbarian” isn’t as good as you thought, or claimed, then it removes the chance of an embarrassing misunderstanding.

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  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    There was a certain level of privileging of Latin

    Would you this maintained continuity through the catholic church into the reformation?

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    • PugJesus@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Funny enough, I’d argue there isn’t continuity there. Greek was the preferred language of the early Church, and, by that period, also the preferred language of civilian government in much of the Empire. Latin only maintained supremacy in the military by the late 4th century AD. The Catholic Church insisting on Latin instead of a vernacular (rather than Latin as the vernacular) was a later development.

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