Article published In:
Translation and Interpreting StudiesVol. 14:3 (2019) ► pp.479–499
Thematic Cluster
Native interpreters in Russian America
This article analyzes the formation of a special professional group of indigenous translator-interpreters in the Russian colonies of America (including Mestizos-Creoles). They shared with the Russians all the hardships of opening up new lands, acted as mediators between the new arrivals and the natives, settled conflicts, warned the Russians about dangers, and sometimes perished during shipwrecks and attacks by hostile locals. Some of the interpreters participated in creating a written language for the native inhabitants of Alaska.
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