TRANSLATION ACTIVITIES AND TRANSLATORS OF THE FRENCH ENCYCLOPEDIA IN 18TH-CENTURY RUSSIA

Abstract

France has a significant place in 18th-century Russian cultural history. In the said period, interest in
the language, state structure, traditions, and especially art and literature of the French constantly
expanded and showed itself clearly in almost all areas of Russian public and cultural life. In the
second half of the century, "Encyclopedia, or Systematic Dictionary of Sciences, Arts and Crafts,
which was created at the initiative of Diderot, it significantly impacted the political and intellectual
life of the Russian and European societies. The number of Russian translations made from the
"Encyclopedia" in that period is one of the most important signs of this effect. The high circulation
of the translated translations is the most vital sign of the interest shown by the Russian reader in the
articles in the "Encyclopedia." The first Russian translations of the "Encyclopedia" are dated 1767.
In 1767, a Russian translation of selected articles from the "Encyclopedia" in three volumes was
published at Moscow University. About four hundred eighty articles were translated from the
"Encyclopedia" in 18th Century Russia. These translations were primarily published between 1769-
1777. The Russian translators of the Encyclopedia are generally educated at the Academy (St.
Petersburg) University and Moscow University and hold civil service at different levels in the
Academy of Sciences, the Senate, or the Foreign Ministry. Among them, S. S. Basilov, Y. P.
Kozelski, I. Grigoryevich Tumanski, Ivan Ulyanovich Vanslov, Vasily Vasilyevich Tuzov, Yakov
Y. Kostenski, A. I. Luzhkov stand out. V. A. Levshin and I.G. Harlamov has a special place among
the Russian translators of the "Encyclopedia." Known as a writer and translator, Levshin has also
undertaken significant scientific studies. These translators, who mainly worked at the upper levels
of the state, became essential names in 18th-century Russian cultural life.