1. A system comprising: a light source that illuminates a sample containing light absorbing material with a plurality of photons; an optical lens that collects those photons transmitted through said sample without being absorbed thereby; a device that separates said collected photons into a plurality of wavelengths; a detector that detects said collected and separated photons so as to generate a first transmission image of said sample in a spatially accurate manner; and a fiber array spectral translator device coupled between said optical lens and said detector, wherein said fiber array spectral translator device includes a two-dimensional array of optical fibers drawn into a one-dimensional fiber stack so as to effectively convert a two-dimensional field of view into a curvilinear field of view, and wherein said two-dimensional array of optical fibers is configured to receive said photons collected by said optical lens and transfer the received photons out of said fiber array spectral translator device and to said device through said one-dimensional fiber stack.