From the ancient writings of St. Jerome to the modern-day translations of Isabelle Allende, these gifted linguists have bridged cultural divides and brought the world’s most cherished texts to English-speaking audiences:
St. Jerome (c. 347-420): Known for translating the Bible into Latin, creating the Vulgate, one of the most significant translations in Christian history.
Xuanzang (c. 602-664): A Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled to India and translated numerous Buddhist scriptures into Chinese, contributing to the spread of Buddhism in China.
Sei Shonagon (c. 966-1017/1031): A Japanese court lady and author known for her work “The Pillow Book”, which includes translations of Chinese poetry and literature into Japanese.
Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444): An Italian humanist who translated numerous classical Greek and Roman texts into Latin, helping to spark the Renaissance in Italy.
John Dryden (1631-1700): An English poet and translator who translated several classical works, including Virgil’s “Aeneid” and Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, into English.
Constance Garnett (1861-1946): An English translator known for her translations of Russian literature, including the works of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov.
Gregory Rabassa (1922-2016): A renowned translator known for his English translations of works by Gabriel García Márquez, such as “One Hundred Years of Solitude”.
Edith Grossman (b. 1936): An American translator acclaimed for her translations of contemporary Latin American authors, including Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez.
Arthur Waley (1889-1966): An English sinologist and translator who introduced Chinese and Japanese literature to the English-speaking world, including works like “The Tale of Genji”, and “The Analects of Confucius”.
Edward FitzGerald (1809-1883): Known for his English translation of “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”, which introduced Persian poetry to the English-speaking world.
Walter Benjamin (1892-1940): A German-Jewish philosopher and translator known for his insightful essays on translation and his translations of French literature into German.
Isabelle Allende (b. 1942): A Chilean-American author and translator who has translated her works from Spanish to English, contributing to the popularity of Latin American literature in the English-speaking world.
Arthur Golding (1536-1606): An English poet and translator who translated Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” into English during the Renaissance, influencing English literature and culture.
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky: A husband-and-wife translation team known for their acclaimed translations of Russian literature, including the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy.
Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957): Besides being a renowned author, Sayers also translated Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” from Italian to English, making it accessible to English-speaking readers.
These translators have made substantial contributions to the dissemination of knowledge, literature, and culture across linguistic boundaries, shaping the world of literature and thought throughout history.
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