Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the changing conceptualization of translation in the context of Protestant missions in southern India between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Paper long abstract:

Protestant missionaries who came to southern India in the early 18th century enthusiastically engaged with the vernacular of the people they sought to convert, and quickly produced translations of Christian texts. Later generations criticized their 'naive' approach and felt the need for a more comprehensive understanding of translation. This paper investigates changing attitudes towards translation among Protestant missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. I argue with Foucault (1966) that there occurred a paradigm shift in how translation was conceptualized: In the early 18th century, the main quality of language was seen in its capability to represent ideas. Translation thus meant to establish a corresponding representation in another framework. The understanding of language as a multilayered repository of the collective spirit of a people, which emerged towards the end of the 18th century, had consequences for the translation practice of the missionaries. Compared to earlier times, the act of translation was considered more complex and demanding since it had to be informed by a variety of cultural dimensions. Moreover, because language was conceptualized as a vehicle to leave an imprint on the spirit of potential converts, translation became the key to the hearts in the hands of the missionaries.