Power relations in Bible translation: a sociolinguistic analysis of selected English and Kinyarwanda passages from the book of Genesis

IF 0.4 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS South African Journal of African Languages Pub Date : 2023-01-02 DOI:10.1080/02572117.2022.2132693
Vedaste Ndizera, Télesphore Ngarambe, Évariste Ntakirutimana
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Abstract

This article applies sociolinguistic and descriptive translation studies approaches to identify and analyse aspects of power dynamics embedded in the English and Kinyarwanda versions of the book of Genesis in the Christian Bible. The major aspects described include imperative/compulsion, warnings/prohibitions, curses/punishments, supremacy, authority/fear, solidarity/cooperation, deference and politeness. A number of non-verbal markers of power are also analysed. This article posits that power relations constitute a non-negligible social aspect of language which should be carefully taken into consideration in Bible translation. The comparative analysis of the English and Kinyarwanda translations of selected passages shows that the neglect of these aspects leads to a loss of the original context and meaning, and this may have disastrous effects on the target audience.
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圣经翻译中的权力关系:《创世纪》中英语和基尼亚卢旺达语选段的社会语言学分析
本文运用社会语言学和描述性翻译研究的方法来识别和分析基督教圣经《创世纪》英文版和基尼亚卢旺达语版中嵌入的权力动态。所描述的主要方面包括命令/强制、警告/禁止、诅咒/惩罚、至高无上、权威/恐惧、团结/合作、尊重和礼貌。还分析了一些非语言的权力标记。本文认为,权力关系是语言的一个不可忽视的社会方面,在翻译《圣经》时应予以认真考虑。对所选段落的英语和基尼亚卢旺达语翻译的比较分析表明,忽视这些方面会导致原始语境和意义的丧失,这可能会对目标受众产生灾难性的影响。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.50
自引率
0.00%
发文量
30
期刊介绍: The South African Journal of African Languages is a peer-reviewed research journal devoted to the advancement of African (Bantu) and Khoi-San languages and literatures. Papers, book reviews and polemic contributions of a scientific nature in any of the core areas of linguistics, both theoretical (e.g. syntax, phonology, semantics) and applied (e.g. sociolinguistic topics, language teaching, language policy), and literature, based on original research in the context of the African languages, are welcome. The journal is the official mouthpiece of the African Language Association of Southern Africa (ALASA), established in 1979.
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