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Article published In:
Translation and the cultural Cold War
Edited by Esmaeil Haddadian-Moghaddam and Giles Scott-Smith
[Translation and Interpreting Studies 15:3] 2020
► pp. 333–353

Specialized translators in the GDR

Professionals across politics, scientific knowledge and translatorial competence

| University of Graz
| University of Graz
This article aims to show that not only was translation in the cultural Cold War used to manipulate ideologies across the Iron Curtain, but it also played a decisive role in establishing socialist structures in satellite states, including those involved with the transfer of knowledge, thus giving a louder voice to translators as vital and yet underrepresented agents. Specifically, we examine the translators of the journal Sowjetwissenschaft (published in the GDR) to shed light on the identities of the translators and their role in the transfer of knowledge within the Socialist bloc. Individual scientific translators are investigated in greater detail to reveal their importance in establishing and preserving socialist structures and discourses during the cultural Cold War.
Keywords: scientific translation, GDR, Soviet Union, political role of translators, circulation of knowledge, Sowjetwissenschaft
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Corpus and methodology
  • The dissemination of knowledge within the Socialist bloc nations
  • Period under investigation (1961–1971)
  • Sowjetwissenschaft 1961–1971
  • Translators for Sowjetwissenschaft
    • Leon Nebenzahl
    • Hellmut Hesselbarth
    • Conrad Grau
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 24 September 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.20077.hof
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