Handbook for translators of Spanish historical ... - University Library

TRANSCRIPTION
page, such pages should "be marked merely a, b, c, and so on.
When the pages of the original are not numbered, it is
advisable to number them according to the system set down
above. If writing on manuscripts is permissible, it should
be done with a medium soft lead pencil. When transcribing
such additions, they should be placed within brackets. In
the transcription of historical documents, a gap caused by
a missing page should be indicated by placing the words
"Page missing," in brackets, at the end of the last line.
7. Numbers . Numbers should be transcribed exactly as
they are in the original; and they should be translated in
the same manner. If the original used Romain or Arabic
numbers, the same kind should be used in the transcription
or translation. If numbers are spelled out in the original,
they should also be spelled out in the transcription
or translation.
8. Italics . In transcribing documents, words underlined
in the original should be Tinderlined in the transcription.
In translations, three types of words should be
underlined: (l) words marked foreign in the latest edition
of Webster' s New International Dictionary of the English
Language; (2) words that do not appear in Webster's dictionary;
and (3) words underlined in the original.
9. Rubric , cross , stamp , and seal . Spanish writers
observed the custom of supplementing their signature with
a rubric, or a flourish of the pen, placed immediately beneath
their name. The rubric served to certify the signature;
sometimes the rubric alone was used to indicate a
signature. Except by tracing or photographing, it is practically
impossible to reproduce rubrics in transcriptions
or translations; but their presence in the original should
be indicated. The word "Rubric" should be enclosed in
brackets and written directly beneath the signature.
Many Spanish documents have a cross printed on the top
of the page. The cro?s may be indicated by writing the
Word "Cross" within brackets at the exact point where the
cross is placed in the original. Sometimes, persons who
could not write would sign their name with a cross. In
such cases the word "Mark" within brackets should be placed
at the exact point where the cross was made by the signer.
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