Towards a Cosmovision Turn – Challenging Translation Theory

Why is Eugene Nida, Translation Studies acclaimed founding figure, primarily praised for his practical strategies for bible translation? What past and present motivations for missionary translation in indigenous communities remain largely unmentioned? What reflections on translation inspire new degree programmes in interpreting and translating for indigenous languages? What kinds of translation activities shaped the contact with indigenous peoples such as the Waorani of Ecuadors Amazon rainforest from the 1950s onwards and will likely affect future contacts with the Tagaeri-Taromenane (Waorani families in voluntary isolation)? Which reflections on indigenous languages and rights have inspired the creation of a new and urgently needed translation study programme for indigenous languages in Oaxaca, Mexico? Or, conversely, what theoretical considerations about translation do these examples incorporate, rely on or maybe lack or ignore? What is the common ground of these quite contrary examples of indigenous translation efforts? In all these instances cosmovision plays a major role. The Consejo Regional Indgena del Cauca (2004, 83), representing the majority of indigenous communities in the Colombian Cauca-region, refers to cosmovision as proceso de creacin de dispositivos para analizar el mundo y actuar en él. Cosmovision hence involves the creation of analytical tools to make sense of the world and act in it nonetheless, this term is a Western(ized) attempt of denominating an understanding of world that indigenous peoples rather practice than categorise. Taking note of cosmovision, is and was not only part of anthropologists quest for knowledge but also lies at the root of bible translations. Accounting for indigenous cosmovision in translation enabled, enables and will enable understanding, trust and consequently conversion of indigenous communities to evangelical beliefs. Although these forms of translation are part of reciprocal processes of transculturation, it remains to be seen to what extent indigenous cosmovision is eventually transformed and retained. Examining the cosmovision factor is also intriguing for newly established programmes in the field of translation for indigenous languages. How do these tap on indigenous concepts of the world and their understanding of translating; or more precisely, how do participants of such a programme perceive of or participate in conceptualizing translation? Where are the limitations of Western theories of translation when teaching translation and interpreting in these contexts? Drawing on these reflections, our project aims at sparking off a self-critical rewriting of the past and present of Translation Studies. We will reassess what the discipline leaves out when canonizing Eugene Nida as well as examine if and how current study programmes de-colonize translation theory by including the cosmovision factor. We believe that there is an urgent need to substantially engage with cosmovisions also in Western migrant societies, especially as addressing these questions is important for conceptualizing, teaching and practising translation. By challenging key premises of the Cultural Turn, we will initiate a debate that might even result into a Cosmovision Turn. References Consejo Regional Indigena del Cauca (2004), Que pasaria si la escuela...? 30 an~os de construccion de una educacion propia. Programa de Educacion bilingue e intercultural, PEBI: Popoyan.

Towards a Cosmovision Turn - Challenging Translation Theory The Consejo Regional Indgena del Cauca (2004, 83) defines cosmovision as "un proceso de creacin de dispositivos para analizar el mundo y actuar en él" - a process of developing tools to interpret the world and act within it. This project explored how evangelical missions associated with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) used translation to influence Indigenous ways of thinking and living in the Amazon. Archival materials, monographs, and excerpts in SIL periodicals show that Indigenous views of understanding the world were deemed important by missionaries; not to foster intercultural dialogue, but to build trust - ultimately aiming at converting them to christian beliefs. Translation was central to this process: missionaries learned Indigenous languages in order to introduce new commandments, ban certain practices, and enforce radical changes in lifestyle. Also, in interviews interpreted from Waoterero to Spanish for this project, Waorani elders in Ecuador recount these profound changes brought by missionary contact, including illness, displacement, dietary shifts, and the disruption of established social structures. Aiming at engaging with a critical disciplinary history, this project set out to revisit the role of Eugene Nida-pastor, linguist, and anthropologist (PhD 1943, University of Michigan) who was active as trainer and advisor for the American Bible Society and United Bible Societies. Within Translation Studies Nida is referred to for challenging the dogma of strict source-text fidelity and advocating for cultural adaptation oriented at the needs of the target context. What received much less attention in the reception is, that his ultimate aim was not mutual understanding, but more effective indoctrination of recently contacted Indigenous communities. A second research strand focused on translator and interpreter training programs for Indigenous languages in Peru and Mexico. We observed hardly any departures from US-Eurocentric concepts of translation; instead, we identified evidence of a degree program on literacy and Bible translation organized with SIL. The turn toward cosmovision ultimately calls for a conceptual rethinking of translation. Incorporating cosmovision into translation theory leads to a turn towards epistemic dimensions of translation and - in the context of indigenous peoples and their languages - an engagement with the colonial experience. Addressing the cosmovision factor thus means asking whether, how, and with what consequences translation occurs.