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This. The modern mathematical symbols, at least in their current use, are no older than 550 years. Heck, the numerals we use are about as old as that. The Arabic world had a head start with early versions of those numerals, but even then, those are only twice as old as the oldest mathematical symbols still in use.
Prior to that, people wrote things out in words, or, as you suggest, invented their own symbologies and shorthands.
I have a book around here somewhere that shows how Diophantus wrote a particular polynomial equation and it's all Greek letters, some with macrons (overlines), some superscripts that don't mean what we'd use superscripts to mean, and one large upturned capital psi in the middle of it. Mind-boggling.
And they'd be more mystified by our notation than we are by theirs because at least we (or some of us) know what Greek letters and numerals are. They'd have no such head start.
True, but I think if the book is given to the right (group of) people, their curiosity to figure out of the book will likely lead them to it being translated rather fast.