In “The Historian as Translator,” the author says, “Every historian encounters the language and culture filter.” What does this mean? What examples does he give?

Answer 1

"The Historian as Translator" is an essay written by Hayden White, a prominent American historian and literary critic. In this essay, White argues that historians encounter the problem of "language and culture filter," which refers to the difficulties of understanding and interpreting historical events and documents due to the differences in language, culture, and historical context.

White gives several examples of this filter, including the difficulties of translating historical documents from one language to another, the challenges of interpreting the meaning of historical events from different cultural perspectives, and the limitations of historical sources that were written in a specific historical context.

For instance, White mentions the translation of ancient Greek texts, which requires the translator to have a deep understanding of the Greek language, culture, and history. The translator must also be aware of the cultural and historical context of the original text to accurately convey its meaning in the target language.

White also discusses the challenges of interpreting historical events from different cultural perspectives. He cites the example of Columbus's discovery of America, which was celebrated as a heroic event in Western culture but viewed as a tragedy in Native American culture.

Overall, White's essay argues that historians must act as translators, bridging the gap between different languages, cultures, and historical contexts to accurately interpret and understand historical events and documents.