Ethnographic Encounters: The Processes of Cultural Translation

Abstract

This paper explores some of the ways in which the contested concept of cultural translation has been interpreted in anthropology. It describes what cultural translation now involves for practitioners who research and teach within interdisciplinary frameworks - particularly those frameworks constituted by the interface between anthropology and modern language learning. A variety of ethnographic encounters are examined, ranging from ethnography in fieldwork abroad to home and auto-ethnography. These encounters are presented as contexts in which students of modern languages can explore and experiment with the dynamics of cultural translation. Ce papier examine diverses rencontres éthnographiques afin d'explorer une tâche fondamentale mais controversée de l'anthropologue: la 'traduction culturelle'. Il établit ce qu'implique actuellement ce concept pour ceux qui décrivent leurs enquêtes de terrain, et notamment pour ceux qui pratiquent l'éthnographie dans un contexte interdisciplinaire rassemblant l'anthropologie et l'étude des langues modernes.