Theology in Translation

Liu, Chao-Chun

Abstract

Translation Studies as an academic discipline has been around for close to half a century, yet the theological dimension of translation has remained an underexplored territory, partly owning to the long-established secular-sacred divide that has turned the study of translation into a primarily secular enterprise. Yet, hidden underneath the most fundamental concepts of translation are theological presumptions that have too often gone on unnoticed and unchallenged. This paper thus offers a critical review of the current state of Translation Studies on this matter and especially of the secular-sacred divide, and then offers an introductory exploration of the theological dimension of translation in the cases of ideology and equivalence. It then particularly focuses on the theological dimension of Bible translation and its theories, taking Eugene Nida’s theory as a case study. Overall, it argues that theology plays an important role in translation and particularly in Bible translation, affecting not only its practice but also its theories. It hopes to draw more research efforts on this topic and thereby lead to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of translation.

Citation

Liu, C. (2022). Theology in Translation. Journal of language, culture, and religion, 3(1), 1-26

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Apr 24, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Language, Culture, and Religion
• Publisher: Dallas International University
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 1-26
• Keywords: Translation, Theology, Translation Theories, Bible Translation
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1208654
• Publisher URL: https://diu.edu/documents/jlcr/jlcr-3.1-2022.pdf