Re: My first translation in Moten! Champagne for all!

On Thu, 3 Jun 1999, Nik Taylor wrote:

> Kristian Jensen wrote:
> > Perhaps there's some UN mandate we could use instead. But that
> > sounds boring to translate.
>
> And also culturally biased.  Let's face it, ANY text will have cultural
> bias.  I think that the Tower of Babel story is quite appropriate, since
> we're *creating* languages.  Besides, why should the cultural factor
> stand in the way?  The Bible has been translated successfully in
> countless languages, in cultures very different from the Ancient
> Hebrews.
Because all those cultures have been affected by those bible
translations, for better or for worse is a fruitless discussion,
but the Nepalese government forbade _every_ linguistic research
project by foreigners after some bad experiences with proselytizing
SIL 'researchers'. I don't want any Andal culture to be affected
by Christianity (or by Buddhism, Islam or Hinduism), at least not
when I can avoid it by not doing something of which I know that
it will.

Currently, no-one on Andal has ever thought of the concept of 'one
supreme deity' who is the only one that must be worshipped, and I'd
like to keep it that way.

And since it's a pre-modern society, on a world quite unconnected
to ours, there isn't any reason why they should take a scholarly
interest in our religions.

Boudewijn Rempt  | http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt