From Aesop’s Fables for Young People, Foulsham’s Boy and Girl Fiction Library (London, c. 1955)
The Copts can translate Aesop’s Fables into Coptic. But they haven’t. What is already available in the stock of Coptic words is sufficient for them to translate the famous fables into Coptic. They will not need to coin new words to do the job. Why haven’t they done then? What goes to Aesop’s Fables go to other interesting books that can be translated readily into Coptic. It is a reflection of how primitive our efforts to revive Coptic still are. Translations from other languages often come before authoring literature in one’s own language. And with translation we must start. This seems to me to be the first stage.
The Copts are of course disadvantaged by having no state of their own which would champion the project of revival of Coptic. And since the 1952 July Revolution – an Arab revolution- the wealthy land-owning Coptic class has been decimated. And the new rich Copts that are present today – such as the Saweris family – is not much interested in Coptic cultural activities as they are in promoting Arab activities, such as Arab poetry, novels and cinema. They set huge rewards for these activities, and they spend millions of pounds for that. But none to reward any work in Coptic. This is shameful.
But the Copts, as a collective, are to blame. They are more interested in religious matters than anything else, and they seem to be happy using Arabic rather than Coptic. Almost all Copts would say they would like Coptic revived, but they do little to make sure that that happens. Fear from the Arab oppressive state grips them.
But the day will come when Copts will form an authoritative body that would direct, encourage and supervise the revival of Coptic. And the translation of world’s finest literature will form part of its job.