Metatext as Mediating Tool of Religious Conflict in Sacred Text Translation Study Notes

The translation of sacred texts involves selective rendering, which raises complexities for translators regarding which features of the source text to prioritize in the target text.
Language mismatches necessitate careful decision-making, often placing translators in roles akin to narrators, whereby they both convey and obscure elements of the source text.
Readers of sacred texts often seek a ‘correct’ interpretation; deviations from established meanings can lead to translations being labeled as heretical or subject to censorship.
This paper argues that metatexts (texts that accompany translations) play a crucial role in regulating reader interpretation and guiding translations to align with orthodox understanding.
The hypothesis is supported by:
- Luther’s Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen (1530) as a metatext for the Luther Bible translation
- The Aristeas Book as a metatext for the Septuagint (LXX) , addressing religious conflicts
- Metatexts related to Afrikaans translations concerning the rendering of messianic references in the Old Testament.

Baker (2006) presents a model where human knowledge is fundamentally narrative, emphasizing the ideological involvement of translators in translations.
Every translation can be seen as a narrative, emphasizing that translation is a process of re-narration rather than neutral relay of information.
Key features of narrative theory include:
- Acknowledgment of the negotiable nature of positioning within social realities, allowing analysis beyond fixed identities like gender and culture.
- Recognition of social actors, including translators, as distinct entities.
- An understanding of behavior as dynamic rather than static.
- Acknowledgment of social structures' influence while allowing for personal or group resistance.
- Application of narrative theory to explain translational choices in broader social and political contexts.
Narratives are structured to facilitate moral decision-making, constituted through four features:
- Temporality: Narratives are embedded in specific time and space contexts.
- Relationality: Isolated events are difficult to comprehend; context is essential.
- Selective Appropriation: Choices made through omission or addition shape the narrative's focus.
- Causal Emplotment: Rendering events into an intelligible plot gives them moral significance.

The concept of framing informs how events and narratives are interpreted, enabling alternate understandings against dominant narratives.
Metatexts serve to:
- Establish anticipatory structures guiding interpretation
- Offer linguistic and non-linguistic framing devices such as intonation, typography, imagery, and various linguistic methods.
Metatexts reveal the evolving relationship between authors, translators, and cultural contexts involved in the production of sacred translations.

Robinson outlines four dimensions of sacred text translation:
1. Early Unregulated Translation: Characterized by minimal control, historical translations were infrequent (e.g., ancient Mesopotamia).
2. Regulated Translation: Involves strict controls on the process, restricting translation to insiders for the purpose of preserving the sacred text's meaning, often for social cohesion.
3. Struggles for Expanded Access: History shows a push for vernacular translations (e.g., Latin translations for Christian communities), leading to a demand for comprehensible translations.
4. Open Translation: Acknowledgment that texts were initially for the masses, yet maintaining control to ensure interpretations are orthodox despite newfound freedoms.

Advances in Biblical scholarship led to a revolution in Bible translation in the 16th century, culminating in notable translations like Luther’s, which rejected strict literalism for clarity and comprehension.
Luther’s Circular Letter on Translation defends his approach, emphasizing personal qualities needed for translators, such as:
- Sensitivity to idioms and cultural nuances.
- The subjective nature of translations and the impossibility of strict literalness.
- The significance of contextual meaning.

Asserts the importance of clarity in translations, utilizing a dialect accessible to the common man.
Critiques word-for-word translations, emphasizing the need to convey meaning over strict adherence to source text wording (e.g., Matthew 12:34).

Chronicles the translation of Jewish laws into Greek, providing a historical narrative that bolsters the legitimacy of the translation in Hellenistic culture.
Discusses the selection and reception of the translators and highlights the alignment of the translation with religious and cultural identity.
Various scholarly interpretations exist regarding its historical value, with some viewing it through a fictional or legendary lens, while others see it as deeply rooted in the socio-cultural realities of its time.

Discusses the controversy around capital letter usage for messianic names in the Old Testament within various Afrikaans translations.
This metatext reflects broader theological and interpretive issues, underpinned by the socio-political dynamics of the Afrikaans-speaking communities.

Metatexts serve essential roles in framing translations of sacred texts, acting as mediating tools to manage reader interpretations and establish orthodox views.
They reveal shifts in translator and author relationships, invite reflection on the socio-cultural contexts affecting translation work, and facilitate discussions surrounding theological and ideological interpretations.