Out of the Trenches

We all recall the World War I story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when German and British troops united first in song, then in friendly competition for a brief respite from the brutal futility of trench warfare. The soldiers’ foray into no man’s land entered the well-traveled, but never settled home territory of the long-forgotten translator. Without the companion texts of common carols, there could have been no polyglot chorus across the muddy, frozen front.

A quarter century earlier, the compiler of the American Bishop John Freeman Young’s posthumously-published Anglican hymnal retained an unusual editorial choice. Prefiguring the moment when aggressions would be schläft and all would be calm, the original German lyrics to the Christmas lullaby “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!” were printed alongside the first English translation for “Silent Night” on the same sheet of music: 

The cover image chosen for Young’s collection depicts the intersectionality of translation with “Alleluia,” a unifying Hebrew word of praise adopted into the music of all four languages included in the book. The words themselves are arranged to share initial and terminal letters, blending the ends with the beginnings, marked by the first lesson of their common alphabet—the hardworking A.

Pym (2012) similarly celebrates the unique position of translators, hybrid creatures situated between worlds, and constantly transacting language, culture, and power, yet truly possessing none of the rewards.

But what of interpreters working in signed languages? At a time when many race to decry every injustice, shout down opposing views, and make everyone’s war their own, John Freeman Young sets a virtuous example:

 

Keep your smart and contrastive smock buttoned, a stiff and whisker-free upper lip, and your mouth defaulted to the closed position. If you are competent, humble, and resist mudslinging, your work could imperceptibly move history along, and you might even be remembered as a peacemaker.

 

 

References

Pym, A. (2012). On translator ethics: Principles for mediation between cultures. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Young, J. F. (1887). Great hymns of the church (J. H. Hopkins, Comp.). New York: James Pott.