Translation and Taboo

From the time of the first written sacred texts in the West, taboo has proscribed the act and art of translation. So argues the author of this book, exploring the age-old prohibition of translation of sacred texts. He shows how similar taboos influence interculture exchange. Probing concepts about language, culture, and geopolitical boundaries - both archaic and contemporary - he investigates the origins of translation and traces the implications for the transference of ideas.