Tradução e Gramática: "Arte de Traduzir de Latim para Portuguez", de Sebastião José Guedes e Albuquerque [Translation and Grammar: The Art of Translating from Latin into Portuguese, by Sebastião José Guedes e Albuquerque]

Abstract

Arte de Traduzir de Latim para Portuguez, reduzida a princípios (The Art of Translating from Latin into Portuguese, reduced to principles) (Lisboa, 1818) is, in the words of its alleged author –Sebastião José Guedes e Albuquerque– a rhapsody of authorised judgements about the usefulness of translation practice in the improvement of the linguistic competence of the Portuguese youth. For Sabio Pinilla and Fernández Sánchez (1998:15) this is «the first translation treaty in Portugal» and also a «servile translation» of L’Art de Traduire le Latin en Français, réduit en príncipes, à l’usage des jeunes qui étudient cette langue (1762), by Louis Philipon de la Madelaine. Despite the servility towards the French model, within the influential framework of the French Enlightenment, Albuquerque’s work is, nevertheless, of interest both for the history of Translation studies and the study of Portuguese grammaticography, considering its adaptation to the genius of the Portuguese language.