The Syntactic Casting Process in the Vulgate

Abstract

Jerome’s translation of the Vulgate is subject to a tension between fidelity to the source languages (Biblical Hebrew and Greek) and correct uses of the target language (Latin). The syntactic calque is a way of producing a translation as close as
possible to the source text. It is based on the existence of a similar, but marked structure in the target language, which can be extended under the influence of the source construction. In Jerome’s translations we can observe a gradation from a full acceptance of the source construction, even if it does not really exist in Latin, to a total rejection of the structure of the source language.