Lecture
“TRADUTTORE, TRADITORE:
THE CHALLENGES AND DILEMMAS OF TRANSLATION.
FROM LATIN TO HEBREW”
with Baruch Many
Thursday, July 9 2026, 18:30
Gutman Museum of Art
Shim’on Rokah St. 21, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Event in Hebrew
Free Admission
Introduction by Luca Ferrari, Ambassador of Italy to Israel
In this lecture, Baruch Many will discuss the differences involved in translating various types of texts. We will explore the challenges and dilemmas faced by translators, and consider the constraints and difficulties involved in the practice of translation. Examples of these challenges will be presented both in general terms and with specific reference to translation from Latin to Hebrew.
The encounter between Latin and Hebrew offers an opportunity to reflect on broader cultural connections: from the close relationship between Latin and the Italian language, deeply rooted in the heritage of ancient Rome, to the continued presence of Latin studies within the Israeli academic and cultural landscape. Against this background, translation becomes not only a linguistic exercise, but also a space where different historical and cultural traditions meet and interact.
The title of the lecture, “Traduttore, traditore” (“Translator, traitor”), refers to a well-known Italian expression that captures one of the central paradoxes of translation: the idea that every attempt to render a text into another language inevitably involves interpretation, transformation, and, to some extent, a departure from the original.
RSVP to iictelaviv@esteri.it
Limited spots