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Translation and International Politicsby Gabe Bokor |
 his issue of the Translation Journal is appearing a few days after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washingon. At the time I'm writing this, emotions are still running high here in the United States, and, although this publication has always avoided engaging in politics, I feel compelled to say a few words on how I think these events concern our profession and us personally.There is probably no activity that is as international as translation. Our mission as translators is to bridge the gap between different languages and cultures, and to promote international understanding. Many of us are rooted in two or more, sometimes historically antagonistic, ethnic environments. Muslims and Jews, Protestants and Catholics, individuals from East and West, developed and developing countries live in love and harmony within many translator families. As this issue's Translator Profile wrote long before the events of September 11, "I am proud of belonging to a trade which is inherently pacifist and concerns itself with promoting good international understanding." In the past few days, I've received messages of sympathy from many countries, including from the Arab world, which reinforced my faith in the inherent decency of human beings regardless of their national origins. We may differ in our views on many things, but I'm sure no translator condones mass murder. During the inevitable response of the U.S. government to the attacks which resulted in the death of thousands of innocent people, certainly including Muslims and other sympathizers of Arab causes, more civilian casualties will occur, including in countries where some of the contributors of the Translation Journal reside. I personally regret such casualties, and I'm keenly aware that the suffering of innocent civilian victims makes no distinction between the two sides of a conflict. However, I believe it is important to keep in mind the moral distinction between unintended "collateral damage" in the course of military operations and deliberate slaughter of civilians. History has shown us that failure to respond to or collusion with ruthless criminals acting in the name of extreme ideologies will only encourage them to commit more atrocities. Capitulation to Hitler in Munich by the West and through the Stalin-Ribbentrop pact by the Soviet Union had World War 2 and the death of millions as a result. While I pray for the safety of translator colleagues and other people of good will on both sides of this conflict, I believe that mass murderers should be punished and ideologies that encourage such crimes should be decisively resisted. Despite the tense international situation, this publication is appearing on time as it has for the past four years. As always, it contains articles by authors from different countries and backgrounds. We intend to keep this spirit of international cooperation among translators alive regardless of what awaits us in the coming months. May members of the translator community continue to be forceful advocates of tolerance and peace among peoples. |
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