Metaphors and practices of translation in anglophone anthropology
- Social Science information
- 62(4), Dec, 2023: p.533-552
This article argues that while translation as a metaphor was prominent in anglophone anthropology for most of the second half of the 20th century, the practices of interlingual translation that are often central to the production and circulation of disciplinary knowledge have tended to attract much less attention. The first main section begins by briefly reviewing debates about the idea that anthropology crucially involves ‘the translation of culture’ or ‘cultural translation’. This use of translation as a metaphor to characterize the discipline emerged within both UK and US anthropology in the 1950s, but subsequently became subject to sustained criticism. The focus of the article then shifts in the second and third sections to practices of translation in, respectively, anthropological fieldwork and the international circulation of anthropological texts. More specifically, it examines the difficulties associated with interlingual translation in fieldwork and ethnographic writing; the hidden or invisible ‘translation work’ undertaken in the past by the assistants and spouses of ethnographers; and the translation of anthropological work into other languages. The article concludes by calling on more anthropologists to publish detailed accounts of their own translation practices, arguing that in so doing they will be able to draw on valuable historical antecedents from within the discipline, important collections of anthropological reflections on translation that have appeared over the past 30 years, as well as on relevant work by translation studies scholars and sociologists of translation. This article explores the metaphorical use of "translation" in anglophone anthropology and its prominence during the latter half of the 20th century. It contrasts this metaphorical focus with the less-examined, yet equally significant, practices of interlingual translation that often shape the production and dissemination of anthropological knowledge. It begins by reviewing debates about concepts like "cultural translation," which gained traction in UK and US anthropology in the 1950s but later faced critique. The article also dives into practical translation challenges within anthropological fieldwork and the global circulation of texts. Key topics include the complexities of translating during fieldwork and ethnographic writing, the often-overlooked contributions of assistants and spouses to translation efforts, and the translation of anthropological texts into various languages. In conclusion, the author calls for more anthropologists to document their translation practices, drawing inspiration from historical precedents, recent reflections on translation within the discipline, and insights from translation studies and sociology. By doing so, anthropologists can enrich the field with detailed perspectives on the intricate relationship between anthropology and translation.- Reproduced