# Identifying and translating an ancient text **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021 "2008-05-04T17:13:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/1 "2008-05-04T17:13:36Z")
I have a friend with a very old Buddha statue from SE Asia. I’ve been trying to identify the origin and, if possible, translate the text. So far it’s been almost impossible to determine anything at all about it. Depending on who I ask, I’ve been told the script is Burmese, very old Thai, and Cambodian. The statue looks like this: [http://www.girlyideas.com/buddha/buddha.jpg](http://www.girlyideas.com/buddha/buddha.jpg) And a close-up of the text is: [http://www.girlyideas.com/buddha/thaiwriting.jpg](http://www.girlyideas.com/buddha/thaiwriting.jpg) If there is anywhere on the 'net I could find someone to identify and translate this, it would be here. Any ideas at all would be helpful. Thanks and regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/2 "2008-05-04T17:23:54Z")
I’ve found [Omniglot](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/index.htm) and [Ethnologue](http://www.ethnologue.com/) a lot of fun to look through. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/3 "2008-05-04T17:31:19Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] I’ve found [Omniglot](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/index.htm) and [Ethnologue](http://www.ethnologue.com/) a lot of fun to look through. [/QUOTE] **Ratatoskk** Thanks for this, I’ll take a look. It’s odd, even a native Thai speaker can’t say for sure whether it’s old Thai or another language. Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/4 "2008-05-05T07:38:39Z")
OK, I’ll give this one bump and if that doesn’t work I’ll let it go. Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/5 "2008-05-05T10:34:02Z")
How cool! I thought maybe Javanese, and I would not rule out ancient Javanese entirely because I’m no expert on these things, but comparing it to the example of Javanese script in my house and what I’ve found on the Internet, I’d say something possibly related, but different. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/6 "2008-05-05T12:18:48Z")
[QUOTE=CairoCarol] How cool! I thought maybe Javanese, and I would not rule out ancient Javanese entirely because I’m no expert on these things, but comparing it to the example of Javanese script in my house and what I’ve found on the Internet, I’d say something possibly related, but different. [/QUOTE] **CairoCarol** Thanks, I’ll take a look on the link that **RatatoskK** supplied and see what I can match-up. The style of the Buddha looks Cambodian, (Big ears and the flat-hat) but individual letters seem to match various languages from that area, Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Burmese. Weird. Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/7 "2008-05-05T15:05:57Z")
Antique Roadshow. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/8 "2008-05-05T16:52:00Z")
I think you’d have more likelihood of success if you contacted an expert in a university. I’m not sure which places have good Southeast Asia programs, but it’s such a short text and a clear picture that I suspect someone would be glad to help you out. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/9 "2008-05-06T04:33:37Z")
**John Mace & Dr. Drake** Thank you both. Unfortunately they don’t have the antique road show here and I’d be afraid to get it around the universities. There certainly aren’t any SE Asian studies going on in Riyadh. 😛 Thanks again. Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/10 "2008-05-06T07:31:24Z")
**RatatoskK** Thanks again for those sites. Strangely, I find letters from several different languages in that script. So far I’ve identified Khmer, Lao, and or two letters that look like Pali. Very strange for a single sentence. Regards and thanks again. Testy ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/11 "2008-05-06T19:41:40Z")
Good luck, I wish I could read it but I can’t!! I’m in kind of a similar situation, I purchased something a few years ago and am curious to translate it. The more I read, the more I realize that there are a lot of subtlilties involved with reading old texts. Even if it were Old English there could be a lot of variation in the script, the spelling, and everything else. So it’s something to have fun with, but ultimately I think the only reliable thing would to ask someone at a university. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/12 "2008-05-07T00:05:22Z")
I know you (kindly) passed on my suggestion, but I’m going to put in a link anyway to the faculty page of the [South Asia Department of the London School of Oriental and African Studies](http://www.soas.ac.uk/southasia/staff/). I’m sure someone there could either help or point you in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/13 "2008-05-07T00:14:33Z")
[QUOTE=Testy] Strangely, I find letters from several different languages in that script. So far I’ve identified Khmer, Lao, and or two letters that look like Pali. Very strange for a single sentence. [/QUOTE] Maybe it’s fake. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/14 "2008-05-07T03:26:01Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Drake] I know you (kindly) passed on my suggestion, but I’m going to put in a link anyway to the faculty page of the [South Asia Department of the London School of Oriental and African Studies](http://www.soas.ac.uk/southasia/staff/). I’m sure someone there could either help or point you in the right direction. [/QUOTE] **Dr. Drake** For some odd reason it never occurred to me to simply send them an email with a picture. I was thinking of physically dragging the thing into a university. :smack: I’ll get an email off to these guys today. Thank you very much, both for mentioning it again and for tracking-down the link for me. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/15 "2008-05-07T03:29:20Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] Maybe it’s fake. [/QUOTE] **WF Tomba** Alas! That is the very thought that has been bothering me as well. Fake antiques are all too common in SE Asia. I hope it isn’t, the guy paid a pretty substantial price for the thing. He’s pretty well-off and can afford it and all but nobody likes being taken for a sucker. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-and-translating-an-ancient-text/448021/16 "2008-05-07T03:34:45Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] Good luck, I wish I could read it but I can’t!! I’m in kind of a similar situation, I purchased something a few years ago and am curious to translate it. The more I read, the more I realize that there are a lot of subtlilties involved with reading old texts. Even if it were Old English there could be a lot of variation in the script, the spelling, and everything else. So it’s something to have fun with, but ultimately I think the only reliable thing would to ask someone at a university. [/QUOTE] **ratatoskK** Yeah, the deeper I dig into SE Asian languages, the more there is to know. So far I’ve found maybe a half-dozen possibilities and then there are all those dead-languages, tribal languages, and as **WF Tomba** pointed out, the possibility that someone just copied a bunch of random letters. Today I’m going to get an email off to Uni. of London that **Dr. Drake** gave me the link for and see if I can find someone that actually knows what they are doing. Thanks again Testy