Translating the Book of Mormon into Spanish: A case study of the translation of sacred texts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2026.e105345Palavras-chave:
sacrality, translation of sacred texts, Book of Mormon, Melitón González Trejo, Actor-Network TheoryResumo
The translation of sacred texts is one of the oldest forms of translation, one which has helped develop our understanding of what translation is. Even so, the question arises as to whether there is anything particularly distinctive about translating sacrality. On the one hand, it can be argued that translating sacred texts is just like translating any other historical or cultural texts (Naudé, 2010). On the other hand, it can be argued that the translation of sacred texts deserves its own category because, for some members of the population, these texts play a special role (Long, 2013). This study seeks to address this question of whether the translation of sacred texts presents a unique case. The study will focus on one aspect of this question, specifically, is there anything distinctive about the process of translating sacred texts? To do this, the study will present the translation of the Book of Mormon into Spanish as a case study. Methodologically, the case study will rely on Actor-Network Theory to describe the translation process in terms of its actors, transfers, and manipulations (see Gonne, 2018). This exploration will allow for some helpful conclusions to the question at hand.
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