Discrepancies in deciphering and translation?

Egypt Daily Star News

In a recent interview with Al-Masry Al Youm Dr. Osama Al-Saadawi claimed there have been discrepancies in deciphering and translating the Pharaonic languages. As a result, the image of Ancient Egyptians has been skewed.

“The French icon Champollion made serious mistakes when translating the Rosetta stone because he relied on assumptions that led him to incorrect translations, and thus the language is not right,” Al-Saadawi said. “As a result we have a misconception of life during Pharaonic times.”

Al-Saadawi claims that only 10 percent of the deciphered hieroglyphics is correct. However, Egyptologists such as researcher and lecturer Ahmed Seddik say that errors in Champollion’s work were a result of minimal technical resources.

Noting that there are mistakes in the first hand-written translations that could have led to wrong assumptions, Seddik said that “Champollion’s work was highly refined and very well translated, and we have been able to unlock the language, the phonetic school of ancient Egypt because of it.”

Among Al-Saadawi’s finds is a discrepancy in the name of the Pharaoh who built the larges of the Giza Pyramids. According to him, his name was not King “Khufu,” but King “Ghonoom.” But according to Seddik, a graduate of the American University in Cairo, both are correct.

“Every pharaoh had at least five names,” he said. “Khufu is a nickname. Ghonoom Khoufi was another name. Ghonoom means protect, so it’s literally ‘Protect Khufu.’”

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