Mixed Translation Patterns

Abstract

Abstract The present study is a linguistic analysis of the translations of some Biblical and Mishnaic verb forms into Ladino in Pirke Avot 'Ethics of the Fathers'. The liturgical Hebrew text includes both language layers, Biblical and Mishnaic. It is read by Sephardic Jewry from Passover to Pentecost a chapter a week, and has been translated into Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish calque-type language, in a variety of places since 1552. The article focuses on the morphological aspects of the translations. The results show that whereas Ladino translators opted for literal translations of the Biblical verses, they adopted freer renditions of the less sacred Mishnaic text. The differences stem from the difference in attitudes towards the sanctity of the two linguistic layers.