Traduttore traditore. Is it possible to translate ancient Greek text?
Ancient Greek literature belongs to a culture very different from the modern one. The
ancient Greek language, as its medium, is incomprehensible outside the general
context of the Greek civilisation. Any translation of an ancient Greek text is always to
some extent false, or at least artificial, and it cannot express the peculiar character of
the reality referred to in the original. Selected translations of passages from Homer,
Herodotus and Aeschines illustrate the incompatibility of the ancient and modern
styles of narration. The study of the language of literature in relation to the reality it
represents is advocated as a possible solution to the problem. It is also recommended
that the readers make an effort and study the ancient originals rather than reading the
texts in translations which can never be flawless.

Traduttore traditore. Is it possible to translate ancient Greek text?
Ancient Greek literature belongs to a culture very different from the modern one. The
ancient Greek language, as its medium, is incomprehensible outside the general
context of the Greek civilisation. Any translation of an ancient Greek text is always to
some extent false, or at least artificial, and it cannot express the peculiar character of
the reality referred to in the original. Selected translations of passages from Homer,
Herodotus and Aeschines illustrate the incompatibility of the ancient and modern
styles of narration. The study of the language of literature in relation to the reality it
represents is advocated as a possible solution to the problem. It is also recommended
that the readers make an effort and study the ancient originals rather than reading the
texts in translations which can never be flawless.