Translating cultures : perspectives on translation and anthropology / edited by Paula G. Rubel and Abraham Rosman.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rubel, Paula G.

Rosman, Abraham.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Communication in ethnology.

Ethnology--Authorship.

Ethnology.

Translating and interpreting.

Intercultural communication.

Physical Description:

xi, 289 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Berg, 2003.

Summary:

The task of the anthropologist is to take ideas, concepts and beliefs from one culture and translate them into first another language, and then into the language of anthropology. This process is both fascinating and complex. Not only does it raise questions about the limitations of language, but it also challenges the ability of the anthropologist to communicate another culture accurately. In recent years, postmodern theories have tended to call into question the legitimacy of translation altogether. This book acknowledges the problems involved, but shows definitively that 'translating cultures' can successfully be achieved. The way we talk, write, read and interpret are all part of a translation process. Many of us are not aware of translation in our everyday lives, but for those living outside their native culture, surrounded by cultural difference, the ability to translate experiences and thoughts becomes a major issue. Drawing on case studies and theories from a wide range of disciplines -- including anthropology, philosophy, linguistics, art history, folk theory, and religious studies -- this book systematically interrogates the meaning, complexities and importance of translation in anthropology and answers a wide range of provocative questions, such as: Can we unravel the meaning of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity when there have been so many translations? What impact do colonial and postcolonal power structures have on our understanding and translation of other cultures? How can we use art as a means of transgressing the limitations of linguistic translation? Translating Cultures: Perspectives on Translation and Anthropology is the first book to fully address translation in anthropology. It combines textual and ethnographic analysis to produce a benchmark publication that will be of great importance to anthropologists, philosophers, linguists, historians, and cultural theorists alike.

Contents:

Introduction: Translation and Anthropology / Paula G. Rubel, Abraham Rosman 1

1 Lyotard and Wittgenstein and the Question of Translation / Aram A. Yengoyan 25

2 Translation and Belief Ascription: Fundamental Barriers / Todd Jones 45

3 Translation, Transduction, Transformation: Skating "Glossando" on Thin Semiotic Ice / Michael Silverstein 75

4 The Unspeakable in Pursuit of the Ineffable: Representations of Untranslatability in Ethnographic Discourse / Michael Herzfeld 109

5 Translating Folk Theories of Translation / Deborah Kapchan 135

6 Second Language, National Language, Modern Language, and Post-Colonial Voice: On Indonesian / Webb Keane 153

7 Notes on Transliteration / Brinkley Messick 177

8 The Ethnographer as Pontifex / Benson Saler 197

9 Text Translation as a Prelude for Soul Translation / Alan F. Segal 213

10 Structural Impediments to Translation in Art / Wyatt MacGaffey 249

11 Are Kinship Terminologies and Kinship Concepts Translatable? / Abraham Rosman, Paula G. Rubel 269.

Notes:

"The chapters of this volume were first presented as papers and discussed at a conference, Translation and anthropology, held at Barnard College, Columbia University, 10-12 November 1998"--Acknowledgments.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1859737404

1859737455

OCLC:

51460467