The Problems and Promises of Studying Global Religious Translation

Religious translation served as both the medium and the motor of early globalization. Yet, the study of global religious translation presents numerous challenges. These challenges include disciplinary compartmentalization, the dominance of Christianity in the archival record, the hegemony of English and the legacies of colonialism and Eurocentrism in international academia. To explicate both the problems and the promises of the field, this chapter outlines the development of the discipline of translation studies, especially in regards to “global history.” Religious translation is a special case on several counts: the agency of the translator is often obscured by the notion that holy texts are permanent and ineluctable. Furthermore, scholars often assume without checking that a translation is the “same” as its source. In some cases, writers have invoked the untranslatability of culturally specific terms to claim the superiority of one people or religion over another. Despite these issues, the study of global religious translation promises to recover rich, as yet unexplored histories, or to add new dimensions to established narratives. The chapter offers remedies to address problems in the field including the development of new sources and new forms of teamwork.