Translation Technique

Abstract

Abstract The Septuagint translators did not make use of handbooks nor could they rely on editorial guidelines when translating the books of the Hebrew Bible. Yet every translator undoubtedly had his own typical methods and practices that diverged from those of others. These methods and practices constitute the translator’s ‘translation techniques’. The present chapter presents the difficulties and challenges in exploring and describing the translation techniques of the Septuagint translators. After a brief survey of the history of research, the question of the characterization of translation technique is dealt with, distinguishing particularly between quantitative and qualitative criteria.