Translating Language Documentation Texts: A survey of macro-level translation methods used in the translation of endangered language texts in a digital language archive

Abstract

A central aim of Language Documentation is the creation and storage of lasting, multi-purpose collections of endangered-language texts, with accompanying annotation. Despite many important developments in the field over the last two decades, there has been no systematic attempt to research or theorise the translation processes or resulting translated texts involved in language documentation work. In this paper I argue that translation practices in Language Documentation can be linked to the field’s social justice goals, and decisions to translate (or not) determine whether a collection can be useful beyond the initial documentation project. I present a study of macro-level translation methods based on a corpus of 1088 texts from 10 deposits in the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR). I survey the decisions made by researchers of which texts to translate, which genres to translate, which languages to translate into and choice of translator. This research demonstrates how a key development from the field of Translation Studies, the notion of Translator Agency, could be integrated with Language Documentation to facilitate the production of more multi-purpose, useful translated texts that better support the field’s social justice aims.