Text
Put the text you'd like to have translated into Aramaic in the box below. If our automatic word counter doesn't work, we'll make appropriate corrections.
Script
Choose the script families that you would like your translation typeset in. Depending on which family of scripts you choose, we will employ a dialect that is suitable unless you request otherwise. Click on the [more info] links to toggle examples.
With over 3,000 years of history, Aramaic has hundreds of dialects which were written in dozens of scripts. Below we have a large selection grouped by family. Click the [more info] link next to each of the family headers for examples, its history, dialects and historical context.
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Probably one of the oldest scripts that any language classified as Aramaic would have been written in, Old Aramaic script (also known as "Paleo-Hebrew" script) was heavily influenced by Proto-Canaanite. This is the script (with some variants) that would have been employed around the times the Bible describes Moses and Abraham. Most scholars date the formation of this script to the 14th century BCE.
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Forming in approximately the 6th century BCE, Samaritan script came from old Aramaic. It is also the script that ancient copies of the Samaritan Pentateuch were penned and are preserved in today.
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As Aramaic progressed into the Imperial language of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the script used to write it underwent a change into something more cursive. Our best examples of this script come from documents written on papyrus from Egypt.
Herodian script is a type of handwriting that became prominent during the reign of Herod. Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were written in this script, and this form would have been what was prominent in Judea during the lifetime of Jesus of Nazareth.NOTE: This is the script that was used on the authentic portions of the James Ossuary, and all of the Aramaic inscriptions in the
Lost Tomb of Jesus .
The script that most of us know as "Hebrew" today is actually a script that was adopted during the Jewish exile to Babylon. Since the
lingua franca of the Babylonian Empire was Aramaic, the Jewish people adopted it as a matter of survival. As a result, parts of the books of Daniel and Ezra were authored in Aramaic rather than Hebrew. The script came about from approximately the 6th to 3rd centuries BC from Old Aramaic.
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From Wikipedia: The semi-cursive typeface in which Rashi's (
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki ) commentaries are printed both in the Talmud and Tanakh is often referred to as "Rashi script." This does not mean that Rashi himself used such a script: the typface is based on a 15th century Sephardic semi-cursive hand. What would be called "Rashi script" was employed by early Hebrew typographers such as the Soncino family and Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer in Venice, in their editions of commented texts (such as the Mikraot Gedolot and the Talmud, in which Rashi's commentaries prominently figure) to distinguish the rabbinic commentary from the text proper, for which a square typeface was used.
The name "Estrangela" comes from the Greek word στρογγυλη (
strongylé ) which means "rounded" (in contrast to the square nature of the non-cursive Hebrew/Assyrian scripts). It was used as early as 200 BCE to write Syriac, a prominent dialect of Aramaic that, in several forms, survives to this very day. The oldest copies of the
Syriac Peshitta are found in this script.
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As Estrangela progressed eastward it took on a slightly different form. Madnhaya or "Eastern" is what modern Eastern Neo-Aramaic is written in.
As Estrangela progressed westward and came to be written upon wax tablets it slowly evolved into "Serto" (which literally means "line" or "scratch"). Western Syriac, including modern dialects, are written in this form.
Digital Tattoo Stencil
If you are considering obtaining a tattoo with your new translation, it is imperative
A tattoo stencil is a dark outline of your design, properly spaced and laid out so that letters will not bleed together. When you take it to the tattoo parlor, the artist will feed it through a thermal facsimile machine which makes a temporary tattoo that is applied directly to your skin. The tattoo artist then uses this as a guide as they ink your design.
Our standard
Digital Tattoo Stencils are delivered via the internet through a secure login to our website. You arrange it how you like in
horizontal lines through your web browser then print out your stencil using your own home printer. A full description of how our Digital Tattoo Stencil system works
can be found here .
Our
Custom Stencils are handed off to one of our artists to integrate whatever graphics you would like to have as well as typeset the text in various non-linear shapes. These are also delivered through our website, but in PDF format.
Be sure to explain what design you are after in the Notes section at the end of this form.
NOTE: We get a large number of request for vertically typeset tattoo stencils. Aramaic, however, was never meant to be typeset vertically (see example). If you would like to have your text vertical, we strongly recommend that you simply rotate what we give you 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
This produces the best results. The script is written as it was designed to be written, and it reads from top to bottom. However, if you would still like things typeset truly vertical, you can order a Custom Tattoo Stencil. Due to the limitations of some cursive scripts, we cannot typeset Estrangela, Madnhaya or Serto vertically. It simply would not work.
Timeframe
Our queue generally allows for digital delivery within 2-3 weeks. However during our busy times, it may take up to 6 weeks to complete an order. As such we offer two Rush Order schedules.
NOTE: Rush order timeframes only apply to Translations and Tattoo Stencils. All other services are exempt. In order for us to process these properly you must make yourself available for correspondence via phone or email during our business hours within the time requested so that if there are any questions we have about your translation, or unexpected problems that arise, that we can receive quick answers from you. If not, we will not be able to fill your order by the specified time. In these cases, we will continue to try and deliver your translation as promptly as possible by keeping it at the very top of our queue, but your rush order fee will be non-refundable .
Audio Recording
Every one of our translations comes with a translation key, a written-down explanation of how to pronounce things; however, nothing beats hearing your words spoken aloud by an experienced speaker.
Audio recordings are delivered in MP3 format via a secure login to our website. We also try to frame the audio recording in the particular dialect associated with the translation. In cases where that is not possible (rare dialects in which there is significant ambiguity) we use standard academic pronounciation.
Additional Proofreading
We are already meticulous with our translations to begin with; however, if you want an extra layer of comfort that we've triple-checked things for accuracy, then you can request additional proofreading.
Having the translator put your translation aside for a little while and come back to it with a refreshed mind, or having a second pair of eyes look over things will not only reduce the chance of errors to practically zero, it also allows our translators to explore additional options in rendering your requested text that they normally would not have the time for.
(frames subject to avaibility)
Framed Artwork - NEW!
You can now get your translation framed as a high-quality print, or composed in hand-written calligraphy. Click [more info] below to see our current selection of frames. Remember to note which frame you would like in the "Notes to the Translator" at the end of this form.
Basic 8x10 Frames
Flat Black "Mahogany" Laminate "Oak" Laminate
Deluxe 8x10 Frames
Oak Maple Walnut
Large Frames
We currently do not have any Large frames available.
Deluxe Large Frames
We currently do not have any Deluxe Large frames available.
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NOTE:Information@AramaicDesigns.com for more info. Subject to approval.