Colonial and postcolonial encounters with the indigenous: The case of religious translation in Africa

Abstract

Translation in the African context is mainly associated with religious translation, especially the Bible but also the Qur’ān. In this paper, selected aspects of the translation of the Bible and the Qur’ān, each a vast field in itself, are used to illustrate the colonial and postcolonial encounters with the indigenous. Religious translation practice tends to focus on the actual source text although many diverse, yet interrelated, contextual factors may also interfere. This article illustrates some of these situational variables and potential influences.Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2011, 29(3): 313–32