An Overview of History of Translation in the Western World

Abstract

The act of translation is as old as the human language. In the west, the earliest reference to the transitional activities goes back to as early as the third millennium BC. The act of translation has been put under various domains so far that includes but not limited to “art,” “craft,” or “science”. It is interesting to note that never before in the history, the act of translation has been given its due credit and credential as it has been attributed in the last and the first decades of 20^th and 21^st century respectively. The study of translation has been recognized as an accepted filed of research. The present paper aims at drawing an outline of Western history of translation briefly. The purpose of the paper is also do provide a tersely glance at the history of translation in the west that can be a ready reference for the student and researcher of the translation studies. It has to be noted here that the list of the periods and works of translation are collected from various archives and reference books related to translation studies, however, the author does not claim that the list is exhaustive.