Paper short abstract:

Christian missions to South Asia have taken several approaches to translate religious ideas that are difficult to express in words. Compared to traditional media, new audio-visual media offer broader channels of communication. The paper will explore the implications of this technological shift.

Paper long abstract:

Although most religious traditions use language to express and transmit religious concepts and experiences, the inadequacy of words is often a matter of debate. If the approximative value of verbal representation is already problematised within a single religious tradition, the translation of religious concepts and experiences across linguistic and/or religious boundaries appears even more difficult. This paper will investigate various approaches to the 'translation of the inexpressible' taken in the history of Christian missions to South Asia, and explore the potential of increasingly popular audio-visual media technologies. Apart from the interplay of sound and images in filmic representations, virtual environments in the internet will be of particular interest.