The Soviet period

The years following the 1917 Revolution saw a new upsurge (rise) in translation activity. On Maxim Gorky's initiative, a new publishing house was set up. Its ambitious goal was to publish the new or revised translations of all major literary achievements both in the West and in the East. In spite of enormous practical and administrative difficulties, this organization managed to publish in the following two decades or so translations of the works of such great authors as Balzac, Anatole France, Stendhal, Heine, Schiller, Byron, Dickens, Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain and many others.

A great number of translations were also published by other national and local presses in the 1930s and the following decades. The country's best scholars and writers participated in this work, elevating the art of translation to a new level of perfection. Many talented translators became known and respected in the Soviet Union and abroad; they included M.Lozinsky, T.ShchepkinaKupernik, S.Marshak, N. Lubimov, E.Kalashnikova, and many others.

The fact that the Soviet Union was a multinational state contributed to the growing demand for translation. The scale of translation among national literatures was particularly impressive. Russian readers became familiar with the great epics from Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and elsewhere. Much was done in this field by such prominent Russian poets and writers as Lev Ginzburg, Boris Pasternak and Nikolai Tikhonov.

The information explosion of the second half of the twentieth century gave a tremendous impetus (['ɪmpɪtəs] поштовх) to non-literary translation. The majority of translations were now of social, political, scientific and technical material. There was a growing demand for professional translators, but non-literary texts were still frequently being translated by non-professionals as part of their work in other spheres.

This unparalleled boom in translation activity brought many new people into the profession and resulted in structural and organizational changes. A network of translation services, agencies and departments was established in government offices and industrial and commercial enterprises. Many translators and interpreters became staff personnel; others worked part time or freelance. Given the scale and the overall high quality of translations, both literary and technical. The country was justly regarded as a great translation power during this period.

The increased demand for professional translators was met by numerous training establishments. A number of foreign language institutes set up translation departments. Translators were trained in universities and technical colleges. Many educational establishments offered their students courses in translation alongside their main professional specialization.

This rich and varied translation activity attracted much attention and recognition. Many periodicals regularly published translations from various languages as well as critical assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of specific translations.

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