Page 74 - Translation Journal July 2015
P. 74
iginal text, making it accessible but easy to read. It also aims to be relevant for Anglophone scholars of Italian literature as well
as for technicians, architects or engineers, who are interested in the contents rather than the formal aspects of historical treatises. The
paper investigates the strategies and methods of translation in the English language in general and also related to Italian technical
literature concerning statics and mechanics applied to architecture in the eighteenth century, the time in which Padua in particular
was established as an authoritative reference in the European scientific context.
2. The theoretical framework
2.a. Criteria and strategies for translating historical scientific and technical literature
The subject of translation of scientific literature is a particularly complex issue, especially concerning literature published in the
eighteenth century. The difficulties are related to many factors, some of which will be taken into consideration. For example over time
translation involves scholars with diverse education and scientific interests, who are not accustomed to dialogue or sharing similarities
and differences. Additionally, except for a few cases mainly related to medical literature, eighteenth century writers may have drawn on
a heritage of various and different experiences, poorly organised in an organic discipline, that can include peculiar approaches
or suggest different orientations.
If we then enter into the specific area of historical literature, it is also difficult to define the sequence of phases or the authoritative
references, that characterise the time. Therefore, translation becomes even more uncertain since, to be understood as a process of
divulgation and mediation, it has to confront not only various languages, but also the different historical cultural and social contexts,
that are the genesis of these treatises. It is in this changing scenario that the peculiar theme of divulgation arises in English speaking
countries regarding the scientific-technical literature of Italian statics and mechanics applied to architecture.
During the eighteenth century, a consistent number of Italian scholars played an important role in the European context; Giovanni
Poleni occupies a prominent place here. Education and the fields of interest of most authors of scientific treatises on mechanics,
medicine, biology and astronomy involve sectors of study such as philosophy, linguistics, history, that only in the last two centuries
have been progressively detached from the so called Humanities; therefore, in the eighteenth century there is not any distinction among
them, both in terms of content and method of study (Mazzotta and Salmon, 2007). As result, the scholars of the time were
philosophers, writers and astronomers as well as scientists, mathematicians and architects.
The translation and divulgation of Italian eighteenth-century technical architectural treatises is rather an unusual theme, unlike the
artistic architectural literature of which a considerable number of Italian works have been translated into English, with authoritative
editions and a widespread distribution in the English-speaking scientific community (White, 1969).
The large number of reprints, new editions, amendments and reinterpretations of successful technical and artistic literature makes
it difficult to systematise and define the different translation methods (Palladio, 1570). It is not easy to find effective terms, languages
and forms of expression in translating the Italian technical language of the eighteenth century into English contemporary technical
language without losing some content and the elegance of expression and form of these treatises, considered as the heritage of Italian
literature. The informative aspects of language, typical of these treatises, need to maintain a certain kind of balance with their aesthetic
aspect and sound-effects.
There are also other experiences of translation technical treatises into English, written in languages other than Italian (Heyman, 1972),
including Latin (Bowler, 2005), which, due to further dialogical difficulties, have been much less debated between scholars of ancient
and modern languages and experts in scientific and technical
disciplines.
Within this articulated scenario, the anastatic reprint of Memorie Istoriche della Gran Cupola del Tempio Vaticano (Historic
Memories about the Great Dome of the Vatican Church) (Poleni, 1748), together with a proposal for translation and research of
suitable strategies and methodologies have been developed, bearing in mind that Poleni’s masterpiece is voluminous, linguistically
sophisticated and ancient.
The Memorie Istoriche in fact contains only 86 pages of drawings out of 400 pages of text, differing, for instance from Palladio’s
treatise, where drawings occupy a significant number of pages. Consequently, the semantic translation would be particularly
onerous and hardly feasible although, being a non-literary text, precedence would be given to the denotation aspect of words and
their referential function without losing the sense that gives the target language text its naturalness.
The reading of the whole source language text was followed by reading paragraph by paragraph in order to feel the tone and intention
of the author, mark the difficulties, adjust the structural linguistic choices and word collocation to preserve and maintain its cohesion
and coherence. The proposal of a synopsis, using languages, forms and expressions consistent with the technical language currently
used by the English speaking scientific community, can also facilitate suggesting the text to an Anglophone scientific audience,
belonging to a culture that is of course far from the Italian culture of the eighteenth century.
For that reason, the synoptic translation of the Historic Memories is also enriched by other simple, but hopefully useful instruments
including:
- a biographical profile of the author;
- a short description of the scientific relevance of the Historic Memories in the scientific context of its time;
- a reference list, cited by the author in the book itself;
- a conversion table of historic and contemporary measurement units, specifically used in the field of architecture.
74 | Translation Journal - July 2015
as for technicians, architects or engineers, who are interested in the contents rather than the formal aspects of historical treatises. The
paper investigates the strategies and methods of translation in the English language in general and also related to Italian technical
literature concerning statics and mechanics applied to architecture in the eighteenth century, the time in which Padua in particular
was established as an authoritative reference in the European scientific context.
2. The theoretical framework
2.a. Criteria and strategies for translating historical scientific and technical literature
The subject of translation of scientific literature is a particularly complex issue, especially concerning literature published in the
eighteenth century. The difficulties are related to many factors, some of which will be taken into consideration. For example over time
translation involves scholars with diverse education and scientific interests, who are not accustomed to dialogue or sharing similarities
and differences. Additionally, except for a few cases mainly related to medical literature, eighteenth century writers may have drawn on
a heritage of various and different experiences, poorly organised in an organic discipline, that can include peculiar approaches
or suggest different orientations.
If we then enter into the specific area of historical literature, it is also difficult to define the sequence of phases or the authoritative
references, that characterise the time. Therefore, translation becomes even more uncertain since, to be understood as a process of
divulgation and mediation, it has to confront not only various languages, but also the different historical cultural and social contexts,
that are the genesis of these treatises. It is in this changing scenario that the peculiar theme of divulgation arises in English speaking
countries regarding the scientific-technical literature of Italian statics and mechanics applied to architecture.
During the eighteenth century, a consistent number of Italian scholars played an important role in the European context; Giovanni
Poleni occupies a prominent place here. Education and the fields of interest of most authors of scientific treatises on mechanics,
medicine, biology and astronomy involve sectors of study such as philosophy, linguistics, history, that only in the last two centuries
have been progressively detached from the so called Humanities; therefore, in the eighteenth century there is not any distinction among
them, both in terms of content and method of study (Mazzotta and Salmon, 2007). As result, the scholars of the time were
philosophers, writers and astronomers as well as scientists, mathematicians and architects.
The translation and divulgation of Italian eighteenth-century technical architectural treatises is rather an unusual theme, unlike the
artistic architectural literature of which a considerable number of Italian works have been translated into English, with authoritative
editions and a widespread distribution in the English-speaking scientific community (White, 1969).
The large number of reprints, new editions, amendments and reinterpretations of successful technical and artistic literature makes
it difficult to systematise and define the different translation methods (Palladio, 1570). It is not easy to find effective terms, languages
and forms of expression in translating the Italian technical language of the eighteenth century into English contemporary technical
language without losing some content and the elegance of expression and form of these treatises, considered as the heritage of Italian
literature. The informative aspects of language, typical of these treatises, need to maintain a certain kind of balance with their aesthetic
aspect and sound-effects.
There are also other experiences of translation technical treatises into English, written in languages other than Italian (Heyman, 1972),
including Latin (Bowler, 2005), which, due to further dialogical difficulties, have been much less debated between scholars of ancient
and modern languages and experts in scientific and technical
disciplines.
Within this articulated scenario, the anastatic reprint of Memorie Istoriche della Gran Cupola del Tempio Vaticano (Historic
Memories about the Great Dome of the Vatican Church) (Poleni, 1748), together with a proposal for translation and research of
suitable strategies and methodologies have been developed, bearing in mind that Poleni’s masterpiece is voluminous, linguistically
sophisticated and ancient.
The Memorie Istoriche in fact contains only 86 pages of drawings out of 400 pages of text, differing, for instance from Palladio’s
treatise, where drawings occupy a significant number of pages. Consequently, the semantic translation would be particularly
onerous and hardly feasible although, being a non-literary text, precedence would be given to the denotation aspect of words and
their referential function without losing the sense that gives the target language text its naturalness.
The reading of the whole source language text was followed by reading paragraph by paragraph in order to feel the tone and intention
of the author, mark the difficulties, adjust the structural linguistic choices and word collocation to preserve and maintain its cohesion
and coherence. The proposal of a synopsis, using languages, forms and expressions consistent with the technical language currently
used by the English speaking scientific community, can also facilitate suggesting the text to an Anglophone scientific audience,
belonging to a culture that is of course far from the Italian culture of the eighteenth century.
For that reason, the synoptic translation of the Historic Memories is also enriched by other simple, but hopefully useful instruments
including:
- a biographical profile of the author;
- a short description of the scientific relevance of the Historic Memories in the scientific context of its time;
- a reference list, cited by the author in the book itself;
- a conversion table of historic and contemporary measurement units, specifically used in the field of architecture.
74 | Translation Journal - July 2015
