Translator: Should they be responsible for their work?

Follow-up to Salman Rushdie from XIULU

Salman Rushdie was in the arts center of the University of Warwick two days ago, promoting his new book. It is also the first time I saw how intense the atmosphere can be: police everywhere, you have to show all your stuff before entry?
We saw him, finally. The man who's life may be one of the most costly in today's world. And he sits right in the center of Butterworth Hall, smiling at us peacefully. With his witty comments and humorous speech, he filled the hall with laughter and joy.
I sat on the highest row, watch him, and keep wondering what a miracle it can be for him to survive till today. The miracle obviously is very expensive: it is said that British government alone is spending 1 million GPB every year on his security. Bodyguards, police man, detectives, even certain intelligence agencies? He somehow managed to escape from his fatwa and lived an obviously happy life.
I am not interested in politics, or religion. I didn't read his controversial verse at all. I was observing him only because I am interested in the translator, his translators. They were stabbed, one died, one severely injured. Protest against translation in Turkey brought the bump of the hotel causing more death. The question in my head is: should translators be morally responsible for what they translate?
If they do, why aren't they protected by the government?
If they don't, why are they killed?
The tragedy goes with more translators who translate in Iraq, during war times and conflicts. They are never to be trusted by both sides. The nature of their job determined their gloomy fate: the communicator between rival sides is never to be trusted by either side. When both sides need a translator, they treat him like a language machine; when they don?t need one, he got killed.
What is the role of the translator?
I didn't have a chance to ask Rushdie himself. But I do wonder, when he sleeps every night, with his young beautiful model wife in his highly secured residence, will it ever occur to him those names of his translators?

Xiu Wang : 20 Oct 2005 01:10 |  Tags: Translation |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem