Institutionalizing Evangelical Thought through Translation Studies

Schögler, Rafael, and Christina Korak. 2025. “In the Name of Nida: Institutionalizing Evangelical Thought through Translation Studies.” Mutatis Mutandis. Revista Latinoamericana de Traducción 18 (2): 344–69. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.mut.v18n2a04.  Alternative direct link to PDF. 

This paper critically revisits the symbolic recognition of Eugene Nida in translation studies in the light of his involvement in missionary organisations and missionary translator training. We examine how the reception of Eugene Nida within translation studies has contributed to legitimizing evangelical missionary activities throughout history and nowadays. Our analysis first illustrates various modes of Nida’s representation in translation studies and draws links to the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Subsequently, we outline how Nida’s active engagement in missionary organizations played a critical role in establishing their academic legitimacy. Finally, we embed these findings in a broader discussion of the relationship between translation studies and missionary translation. Our findings show the need for thorough scholarly debate aimed at reassessing the positioning of key figures within the disciplinary canon and reconstructing the effects of 20th and 21st century missionary translation on the rights of Indigenous peoples, their cosmovisions and their territories.