Traditions of translation in Hebrew culture

Throughout most of the history of Jewish communities worldwide, diglossia has been the rule rather than the exception. The history of Hebrew translation is hereby told from this special angle of Hebrew's diglossic existence, encompassing both 'classical', genetically related diglossia (Hebrew/Aramaic, Hebrew/ Arabic) and 'extended', non-genetically related diglossia (Hebrew/Greek, Hebrew/non-semitic Jewish Languages). Accordingly, the following overview is divided into two unequal parts: the first presents traditions of translation into Hebrew in its long-held diglossic state since biblical times to the end of Haskala, and the second, traditions originating and carried out in its ongoing non-diglossic state begun with the return to Eretz Israel in the late 19th century. It is within this context that the attitude towards translation as well as the significance of translation for Hebrew culture will be viewed.