Sometimes I feel really grateful for the internet.

In some parts of one documentary I’m translating at the moment there are bits in which the audio isn’t good and I couldn’t figure out what one Egyptologist was saying. The dialogue list I was given with the video didn’t make sense so I googled the Egyptologist’s name (luckily, the spelling of the name was correct in the script!), found her e-mail and asked for help. She replied within a couple of hours.

Now, imagine having the same challenge decades ago.

Would I have to make a long distance call (she lives in Cairo!) and explain what it’s about, which parts exactly are the problem etc…? Apart from the time and the cost, what if she’s not in the office/at home/by the phone for days? Today, many people check e-mails daily wherever they are.

How did translators manage to deal with similar situations in times before the internet?

Maybe the dialogue lists and scripts were more helpful (read: accurate)? Maybe they had more time to do the job and used to send letters across the globe and wait for the reply?

Maybe they used carrier pigeons?

Telepathy?

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