| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4 5] > | Poll: Do you have to be a believer in order to translate a religious text? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you have to be a believer in order to translate a religious text?".
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| | | | | I’ve ticked “It depends” for the lack of the option “Other” | May 26, 2021 |
Like with any other subject matter, if you are not familiar with the religious text and care about its content you are certainly not going to be able to turn out your best work.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 14:04
Spanish to English
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If the purpose of the text is to proselytise, a believer may be suitable for the job, as being convinced themselves they may be more likely to convince the target audience.
However, in general I would say that a sound working knowledge of the religion or religious text in question would usually be enough for my purposes, which may or may not always coincide with those of the client.
| | | | P.L.F. Persio 
Netherlands
Local time: 14:04
Member (2010)
English to Italian
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I became an atheist around the age of 14, and still am. But, being a bookworm and loving literature, years later I bought myself a Bibbia Concordata, i.e. an interfaith edition edited by a group of Catholic, Jewish, Protestant and Orthodox scholars, and read it with great pleasure.
I've translated a lot of religious texts and a book for an American evangelical organisation, as a volunteer. Though raised as a Catholic in a Catholic country, I feel quite a lot of affinity with ... See more I became an atheist around the age of 14, and still am. But, being a bookworm and loving literature, years later I bought myself a Bibbia Concordata, i.e. an interfaith edition edited by a group of Catholic, Jewish, Protestant and Orthodox scholars, and read it with great pleasure.
I've translated a lot of religious texts and a book for an American evangelical organisation, as a volunteer. Though raised as a Catholic in a Catholic country, I feel quite a lot of affinity with Protestantism, and I really enjoyed reading and translating all those sermons.
I think that people could do much worse things in their lives than following the Ten Commandments, or the teachings of Christ, even if they're atheists. I just don't expect any kind of rewards, least of all punishments, after my departure. Let me go back to the nothingness I came from, and let me rest (or rust) in peace forever. ▲ Collapse
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| Not necessarily | May 26, 2021 |
A translator must know about the subject and the terminology, but if you have strong feelings involved, you have to leave your own faith on the shelf and take care to translate what the writer actually says.
I have to watch myself when translating press releases or articles on politics, to make sure my own sympathies do not colour the translation or shift the emphasis.
I once translated a book on pilgrimage, and found it surprisingly difficult. I wanted to fire u... See more A translator must know about the subject and the terminology, but if you have strong feelings involved, you have to leave your own faith on the shelf and take care to translate what the writer actually says.
I have to watch myself when translating press releases or articles on politics, to make sure my own sympathies do not colour the translation or shift the emphasis.
I once translated a book on pilgrimage, and found it surprisingly difficult. I wanted to fire up the deliberately cool and objective descriptions, which were very different from my own experience of just walking a few kilometres regularly - not even in a religious context.
I do not know enough about most faiths to translate their religious texts, so I would turn them down as I turn down any other work that I am not qualified to take on.
I am a Protestant, and I love and respect Catholics (but that makes me more protestant than ever!) If asked to translate a Christian text, I would probably take it on, but might actually say no, I am too personally involved.
Would a non-believer do a better job? Again, it depends. Someone with the knowledgeable approach of P.L.F. Persio might be ideal. A raging anti-religionist would be just as unsuitable as an over-zealous believer! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Yes,of course | May 26, 2021 |
I do believe that my faith must go on the same line with the task I am about to take.Faith and religion is not my optuonal thing that i set aside on the shelf and do what I don't believe in.I am a Protestant Christian so I will work on Christian matters that is in the scope of my doctrinal beliefs.Recently, I rejected some Mormon project because of my faith and I did that not because I hate Mormons but my belief is not in the ways of thier theology.
[Edited at 2021-05-26 10:16 GMT]
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Just like any other field, there is simply a terminology to respect, then just put your belief or non-belief aside if necessary and translate.
| | | | | No, not necessarily | May 26, 2021 |
It is certainly important to have a broad knowledge of the subject and its vocabulary if you want to provide a quality translation. However, you can be interested in religion as a cultural element and be extremely well-read in the subject without actually adopting its teachings. In this case, you are still perfectly able to do quality work.
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| Not necessarily | May 26, 2021 |
But this is like arguing whether a translator needs to be the same colour as the author.
| | | | Liena Vijupe
Latvia
Local time: 15:04
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
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| No, but it probably helps | May 26, 2021 |
A job is a job and you don't have to believe in what you're selling, but if the subject irritates me or makes me too uncomfortable in some way, I may not be the best person to work with it.
Then again, like Christine said, too strong involvement may also do more harm than good, especially with certain types of texts.
You just have to be a professional and have at least some interest in the subject, I guess.
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 14:04
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Don't think so | May 26, 2021 |
You can believe or not believe in many things, so I don't see why it should be any different for religion.
You might not separate your rubbish into all the different bins, but you can still produce a good translation on a new recycling facility.
You might not believe a word the CEO says in his press release claiming that the upcoming merger will be good for employees, suppliers, shareholders and investors alike, but you can pitch that corporate blurb all the same. ... See more You can believe or not believe in many things, so I don't see why it should be any different for religion.
You might not separate your rubbish into all the different bins, but you can still produce a good translation on a new recycling facility.
You might not believe a word the CEO says in his press release claiming that the upcoming merger will be good for employees, suppliers, shareholders and investors alike, but you can pitch that corporate blurb all the same.
You might snigger in private about your neighbour being a poof, or you might think that the best place for a woman is in the kitchen, or in the bed if she's lucky, but you can tune in to that inclusion/diversity/non-discrimination triptych like you meant it.
I mean, all we're doing is conveying what they feel and what they write. As long as you do the research and come up with all the acronyms and the rest, why not?
Like The Artist Formerly Known As Chris S implied (sorry, Ice Scream, I couldn't resist), it's another version of the recent thread on, what was it, a white Dutch translator pointedly ditched for the translation of a black person's poem. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 09:04
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Of course not! | May 26, 2021 |
Do you have to be a doctor to translate in the medical area? An engineer to translate project documents? A lawyer to translate contracts or lawsuit documents?
If so, I've been doing it all wrong my entire life.
Also, a believer will, involuntarily, add all their biases to the translation, which is not advisable, of course. And worse than that, a believer of religion A will add terrible biases to a translation for religion B.
So, no, neutral/impartial is always better for trans... See more Do you have to be a doctor to translate in the medical area? An engineer to translate project documents? A lawyer to translate contracts or lawsuit documents?
If so, I've been doing it all wrong my entire life.
Also, a believer will, involuntarily, add all their biases to the translation, which is not advisable, of course. And worse than that, a believer of religion A will add terrible biases to a translation for religion B.
So, no, neutral/impartial is always better for translators. ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 14:04
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Being a believer may help in the sense that you may understand concepts that non-believers don't. But even within faiths there are different interpretations or opinions about things, and it would be a mistake to allow your own opinion about the faith to influence your translation of the author's opinions about the faith. So it's potentially good and bad.
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But when I did a book translation several years ago that seemed to be mostly a re-hash of the life of Jesus Christ, it seemed to have helped that I grew up in a household where one of my parents required me to attend church and summer Bible school until I rebelled when I was around 15.
[Edited at 2021-05-26 14:08 GMT]
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 15:04
Member
English to Turkish
| Sir Anthony Hopkins | May 26, 2021 |
Many years ago I was watching Bram Stoker's Dracula on TV. The film was dubbed in Turkish and at one scene Anthony Hopkins' character (Van Helsing, I think) was pressing a cross into Dracula's face and saying "In the name Allah and the prophet get back!!!". I thought it odd at the time that Anthony Hopkins was a Muslim toting a cross... but I also remember thinking that he may have found the true faith along the way like his compatriot Cat Stevens, but as a force of habit resorted to his cross a... See more Many years ago I was watching Bram Stoker's Dracula on TV. The film was dubbed in Turkish and at one scene Anthony Hopkins' character (Van Helsing, I think) was pressing a cross into Dracula's face and saying "In the name Allah and the prophet get back!!!". I thought it odd at the time that Anthony Hopkins was a Muslim toting a cross... but I also remember thinking that he may have found the true faith along the way like his compatriot Cat Stevens, but as a force of habit resorted to his cross at that crucial moment when facing Dracula...
Years later I watched the same film on Netflix in original English language and found that he was actually saying "In the name of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost (or something like that) get back!!!".
I was utterly and completely disappointed...
To get back to the topic, I think the person who translated the subtitles or dubbed the film was a believer and his beliefs heavily influenced his work so much so that it totally ruined the film for me.
I should also point out that after straying from the righteous path, the good Sir developed some very strange habits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g_xTAwxaKQ
[Edited at 2021-05-26 14:34 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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