Paul Tierney Interpretation

“The Interpretation or Misrepresentation of Meaning” by Paul Tierney is a winner of the Kendall North Award for the best paper in the 2009 issue of the Agora. The paper claims that hindrance was created by the older language style and how difficult the translating process is to do without leaving out the original sound of the language. In addition, there is a diction shift the other indicates or in other words the listeners’ preferences change. (Tierney 2). The author proposes that the process of translating is similar to attempting to interpret damaged photographs from somebody else’s family album. (Tierney 2) Rita Copeland, claims that between the fall of Roman Empire and the rise of the late Middle Ages, there was a sharp decline in the
availability of professional grammarians. (Tierney 3). This in turn lead to a need for scholarly work to be performed to make up for the sharp decline, the author concludes. An important aspect of translating historical pieces such as Beowulf is to retain its former cultural background and significance including former figurative language. Since its publication in 1977, Howell D. Chickering’s Dual Lamguage Edition of Beowulf has been considered one of the most well read and educational translations ever done. (Tierney 5).