Languages of the Indigenous Peoples of Siberia: Ethnic Translation Aspect

Abstract

The article addresses the linguistic, anthropological and cultural prerequisites for the emergence of Ethnic Translation Studies, understood as an actively developing frontier zone of modern humanities. The symbolic meaning of the frontier is proposed in the translation discourse to denote the meeting zone of the old and the new, the studied and the unexplored. The recognition of the inherently complex and ambiguous nature of the frontier under consideration determines the need for its research within the framework of traditional areas of translation science and its corresponding categorical paradigm, as well as with the mandatory involvement of new knowledge, concepts and categories from “near” and “far” for Translation Studies scientific fields and, above all, the sciences of ethnic area. The integration of various approaches provides the required interdisciplinary approach to the ethnic text - a new object of translation activity and an unconditional key concept of Ethnic Translation Studies, which is currently at the stage of its formation and acquisition of a categorical apparatus. The ethnic text is defined in the study as an ethnocultural information “capsule” that arises and functions in the cultural spaces of certain regions and the entire multilingual and polycultural world, which contributes to the preservation of cultural information and memory of a particular ethnic group and reveals a close connection with the cultural identity of its representatives, and also supports the cultural and linguistic diversity of mankind. The study, which has both descriptive and prescriptive character, is addressed to the situation that has developed in the field of translations of indigenous peoples of Siberia ethnic texts. The article defines the main areas and tasks of Ethnic Translation Studies, as well as further prospects for its application. Ethnic translation is understood as the “key” to the cultural information of ethnic text and an effective tool for preserving the unique languages and cultures of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, their revitalization and revival. The separation of ethnic translation into an independent field of Translation Studies involves the creation of new opportunities for representatives of “other” cultures of the world to get acquainted with the unique languages and cultures of Siberia, some of which are on the verge of extinction. Ethnic Translation Studies can also become important for maintaining and strengthening cultural identity among representatives of ethnic groups who have practically lost their mother tongue.