VERSION. The word version, or translation, is used to express the transferring of some written composition from one language into another. Like many other terms, translation cannot be briefly defined : the notion of translation must be attained by a consideration of all the conditions of translation ; and the right understanding of its nature involves a part of the general theory of language.
If two languages corresponded perfectly ; if every term in the one language had its equivalent in the other ; and if the forms of speech in the two languages were also perfect equivalents, the difficulty of translation would not be great. It would only be necessary to dis cover the equivalent terms and the equivalent forms of speech in the two languages, and translation would ho effected by mere substitution. In this supposed case, as the terms and the forms of expression would be perfectly equivalent, a person who should read the trans lation would understand it exactly as a person would understand the original ; for the supposition of the two languages being perfect equivalents involves the supposition of the objects of thought and the mode in which their relations to one another are viewed being the same for the people who use the two languages. Now no two lan guages have this perfect equivalence of terms and forms of speech, and therefore a perfect translation cannot be made.
The general distribution of words into notional and relational words is explained in the article NOTION. In no two Languages are all the notional words perfectly equivalent. Such words as express many of the ordinary objects of sense, as sun, moon, man, woman, are perfect equivalents; but all the words which express objects of sense in one language have not their equivalents in another. Various nations have varioua articles of dress, various utensils, Implements, and ornaments which are peculiar to them, and consequently have not their equiva lenta In another language. If such terms are rendered by some other term in the language into which the translation is made, the translation will nut convey the exact notion of the original, though it may come near enough for many purposes. In some cases the difference is
immaterial, as may be shown by instances ; in others the difference is material. The Latin words " domus " and " Tigris; " may be respectively rendered by the English "house" and "ship," though Boman houses and ships differ cona.derably from English houses and ships. But if the word " dome" is merely used to signify the general notion of a dwelling fur man, as for example, when one wishes to say that a " man was killed in a house and not in the street," the precise difference between Roman houses and English Is immaterial, fur house in such case is used in its moat general sense. But ifin the original Latin passage anything turoed on the difference between "dotnus " and "villa" as opposed to one another, then, unless the English language pussussed two words which should stand in the same opposition to one another as "dona" and " villa," a translation could nut be made simply by eauiralent terms : it must be effected in some other way. Material objects then, for which there may be equivalents in two languages when the object is used in its moat general sense, may nut have equi valents in the two languages when used In this special sense. Thus the Win words " paters," " urns," "lane,' are words which express the general notion of a thing that Is used to contain other things; but as they are also used to indicate a larticuler kind of containing vessel, there can be no translation of such terms uulosa we have both the thing. and the name for them. It al.peara then that, even in the arse of such ordinary things as domestic utensils, a translator will often be at a loss to find a word equivalent to the original word ; and he must either rind a word which comes the nearest to it, or he must adopt the original word. In the one case he will not convey en exact notion to the reader, and he may convey a very erroneous notion ; in the other he will convey none at all, unless the reader happens to know the thing intended by the term in the original language. The context may often help to the right understanding of a term, but that is not the matter at present under consideration.