Humankind has a long history that awes each generation. These histories are usually preserved in different forms like art, writings or even songs. Each region of the world holds human history and each is different from each other. This means that once a certain human history is discovered, the whole world will need to learn about it. Since each part of the world has a different language, translation is a necessary tool in ensuring the history of a certain place is known in another by translating its works to a language understood by people in another part of the world. Babylon is a location with lots of history; this has led to numerous translations of its history. One such translation is the Epic of Gilgamesh. This paper will look at the
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This is because the story of the flood starts with the question of whether the reader knows the city Shurrupak that stands on the banks of River Euphrates (Sandars). The question leaves one to anticipate an answer either immediately or later in the story. It also acts as a form of capturing the reader’s attention making them keen on finding out the relationship between the city, the river and probably its inhabitants. The translation of the same account of the floods by Benjamin Foster brings about a reaction that is full of comparisons. As the story of the flood starts, it begins with Gilgamesh comparing himself to Utnapishtim in terms of the body structure (Foster et al). Utnapishtim also advances this reaction when he tells Gilgamesh to make a boat whose width and length equal each other. The translation that is the most appealing is that of N.K Sandars due to its ability to create a reaction that keeps the reader wanting more from the story due to anticipation. It also does not deviate so much from the story learned in class due to its simplicity and going directly to the point …show more content…
This tone first comes to a reader from the first sentence where one is asked whether they know of the city of Shurrupak. Sandars’ is sincerely asking whether a reader of this generation may know the city. He goes on to show sincerity when he brings the same tone as Gilgamesh narrates how he built the boat and survived the floods (Sandars). The tone on Fosters’ translation is condescending. It brings out the aspect of superiority from one character to another. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh to build a boat and orders the directions to him “let her dimensions be measured out, roof her like watery depths.” Gilgamesh confirms these orders by acknowledging the commands of Utnapishtim and saying he will execute them as directed (Foster et al). This shows superiority where Utnapishtim is superior to Gilgamesh. The tone from Sandars’ translation is more solemn than of Foster. When Gilgamesh has his boat rest on the mountain and he decides to let out birds to look for places to perch the two differ completely. Sandars uses the word loosed a swallow or loosed a raven while Foster uses freed a swallow or freed a raven. The word loosed as used by Sandars show that the birds were not in captivity as with everything in the boat, they were just sheltered from the floods. The word freed as used by Foster shows captivity and lack of freedom making this translation less solemn compared to that of
This is because the story of the flood starts with the question of whether the reader knows the city Shurrupak that stands on the banks of River Euphrates (Sandars). The question leaves one to anticipate an answer either immediately or later in the story. It also acts as a form of capturing the reader’s attention making them keen on finding out the relationship between the city, the river and probably its inhabitants. The translation of the same account of the floods by Benjamin Foster brings about a reaction that is full of comparisons. As the story of the flood starts, it begins with Gilgamesh comparing himself to Utnapishtim in terms of the body structure (Foster et al). Utnapishtim also advances this reaction when he tells Gilgamesh to make a boat whose width and length equal each other. The translation that is the most appealing is that of N.K Sandars due to its ability to create a reaction that keeps the reader wanting more from the story due to anticipation. It also does not deviate so much from the story learned in class due to its simplicity and going directly to the point …show more content…
This tone first comes to a reader from the first sentence where one is asked whether they know of the city of Shurrupak. Sandars’ is sincerely asking whether a reader of this generation may know the city. He goes on to show sincerity when he brings the same tone as Gilgamesh narrates how he built the boat and survived the floods (Sandars). The tone on Fosters’ translation is condescending. It brings out the aspect of superiority from one character to another. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh to build a boat and orders the directions to him “let her dimensions be measured out, roof her like watery depths.” Gilgamesh confirms these orders by acknowledging the commands of Utnapishtim and saying he will execute them as directed (Foster et al). This shows superiority where Utnapishtim is superior to Gilgamesh. The tone from Sandars’ translation is more solemn than of Foster. When Gilgamesh has his boat rest on the mountain and he decides to let out birds to look for places to perch the two differ completely. Sandars uses the word loosed a swallow or loosed a raven while Foster uses freed a swallow or freed a raven. The word loosed as used by Sandars show that the birds were not in captivity as with everything in the boat, they were just sheltered from the floods. The word freed as used by Foster shows captivity and lack of freedom making this translation less solemn compared to that of