Translation in Early Modern Diplomacy by Rjéoutski, Vladislav; Braun, Guido; Félicité, Indravati;

Short description:

This book highlights the crucial contributions of translators in shaping early modern diplomacy, offering a unique lens through which to understand the growing complexity of international relations and communication in this era.

Long description:

This book highlights the crucial contributions of translators in shaping early modern diplomacy, offering a unique lens through which to understand the growing complexity of international relations and communication in this era.

The early modern period was a transformative time for European diplomacy, marked by the rise of resident diplomacy, the advent of peace congresses, and significant shifts in linguistic practices. As Latin, German, and Italian waned as major diplomatic languages, French emerged as the dominant pan-European medium of diplomatic communication. These changes had profound implications for translation in diplomacy, shaping its role, function, and institutionalisation. New translation departments were established, and the need for trained translators became critical, leading to the foundation of schools and the development of specialised practices. By adopting a transnational perspective, the book offers a fresh, insightful exploration of the evolution of translation and its impact on the expanding network of diplomatic contacts and correspondence.

Bringing a panoramic and multidisciplinary approach to the history of translation, this book is intended for scholars and students of the early modern period, translation studies, the history of diplomacy, the history of languages and historical sociolinguistics, and European cultural history more generally.

The Introduction of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license.

Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) International license.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Translation in Early Modern Diplomacy  Part 1: Translation in Peace Negotiations  1. Translation and Papal Peace Mediation at the Congresses of Münster and Nijmegen  2. Interpreters and Their Multiple Roles during the Carlowitz Peace Congress (1698–1699)  3. Diplomacy, Languages, and the European Balance: Negotiations at the Congress of Soissons (1728–1729)  Part 2: Diplomatic Contacts between Christian and Non-Christian Countries  4. Can I Have Your Word?: Foreign Terms in Seventeenth-Century Treaties of the Dutch East India Company  5. “I have no one who can translate and understand these letters”: Diplomatic Communication Challenges in Ukraine’s Relations with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate in the Late Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Century  6. Challenges and Innovations in Diplomatic Translation: The Russian Mission in the Ottoman Empire (Late Seventeenth – Early Eighteenth Centuries)  Part 3: Policies, Cultures and Institutions  7. Translating Diplomacy: The Role of Translators in the Ambassadorial Chancery in Seventeenth-Century Russia  8. From Apprenticeship to Expertise: Translator Training in Russia (First Half of the Eighteenth Century)  9. Diplomatic Affairs, Translation Processes and Political Decision-Making at the Eighteenth-Century Swedish Diet  10. Translation and Professionalisation: The Case of the French Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs in the Eighteenth Century  Part 4: Family and Individual Strategies  11. The Business of Translation: The Graciáns and the Monopoly of Diplomatic Translation Services at the Spanish Court  12. Between Diplomacy and Literature: Pavel Levashev’s Translations, Career Strategies, and the Development of Russian Diplomatic Language