Audrey Wrote:
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>

Quote
Hanslune
> The dictionaries exist now that would allow you to
> easily translate what Sitchin did - you have
> available to you better sources than he did. So in
> your translations of those same quote what do they
> say to you?
>
> I mean you have translated them yourself haven't
> you?
>

>
> That is a naïve oversimplification of what's
> involved in translating cuneiform or any ancient
> language. You do not realize the problems
> involved, such as faded letters, missing pieces of
> clay, misspelled words, word changes, word
> similarities. You seem to think every word was
> written exactly the same on each tablet in each
> location and all the tablets are intact. There is
> also the problem of interpretation which hinges on
> the individual translator. For example, the
> different translations of Gilgamesh, they don't
> all read the same. You can find different
> interpretations of ancient Greek texts and ancient
> Greek is much more understood than cuneiform.
>
> It is not cut and dried, black and white like you
> think it is. Translators don't really perform
> "studies", they may present an analysis of one
> word or one piece of text or texts relating to one
> person in history. Translations are a whole
> different ballgame than studies on say - glaze
> finishes on pottery.

The don't operate from the seats of their pants.

Apparently you are unaware of the fact that the Akkadians - whose language was part of the Semitic Language Group (reasonably well understood, wouldn't you say, or do you even know?) left dictionaries and lexicons for translating from Sumerian to Akkadian.

This is because the Sumerian language (which, as far as is known, was a language isolate)was used by the Akkadians for religious and other official writings. They had to teach it to their scribes in order to use it this way, thus the lexicons etc.

Sumerian cuneiform has been translated for over a hundred years now. It is quite well understood, though obviously different English words are often used by different translators (i.e. "ship" or "boat," "brick" or "block," "cow" or "cattle," etc.)

One thing they don't mention (but Sitchin does) is rocket ships.

One reason for what you consider to be different interpretations for Greek writings is that many of them are supposed to be in verse. Several translators have tried to duplicate that in their translations, leading to somewhat different translations created solely to rhyme each line.

Other than that, translations might differ, but only minimally and because of what I said above, there being many different words one can use for the same noun or verb in English and any other modern language.

Harte