Women as interpreters in colonial New Netherland
-
Waltraud Kolb
Abstract
This contribution presents a case study of Sara Kierstede (aka Roelof, Van Borsum, Stouthoff), a Dutch-speaking New Netherland settler and 17th-century interpreter who was proficient in Dutch and Native American languages and served as interpreter in a male-dominated colonial environment in settings that today would be labeled as public service interpreting (PSI) or, in some instances, diplomatic interpreting. Following a microhistorical approach, rooted in Translator Studies, we discuss the agency and positioning of Kierstede as one of the few female interpreters in a multilingual colonial contact zone. We use different historical and secondary sources and reinterpret them from a translatological perspective to explore Kierstede’s interactions and relations with other stakeholders as linguistic go-between and official provincial interpreter in Dutch colonial encounters and her role as an influential woman and cultural mediator in the self-contained network of relationships that characterised Dutch colonial society in New Amsterdam.
Abstract
This contribution presents a case study of Sara Kierstede (aka Roelof, Van Borsum, Stouthoff), a Dutch-speaking New Netherland settler and 17th-century interpreter who was proficient in Dutch and Native American languages and served as interpreter in a male-dominated colonial environment in settings that today would be labeled as public service interpreting (PSI) or, in some instances, diplomatic interpreting. Following a microhistorical approach, rooted in Translator Studies, we discuss the agency and positioning of Kierstede as one of the few female interpreters in a multilingual colonial contact zone. We use different historical and secondary sources and reinterpret them from a translatological perspective to explore Kierstede’s interactions and relations with other stakeholders as linguistic go-between and official provincial interpreter in Dutch colonial encounters and her role as an influential woman and cultural mediator in the self-contained network of relationships that characterised Dutch colonial society in New Amsterdam.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introducing new hypertexts on Interpreting (Studies) 1
-
Methods and methodologies
- Exploring mixed methods in interpreting research 22
- User expectations research revisited 44
-
Quality in (simultaneous) interpreting
- A review of the evolution of survey-based research on interpreting quality using two models by Franz Pöchhacker 68
-
Public service interpreting
- “Is there anybody out there?” – “It’s happening, it’s out there. A lot is going on” 92
- Non-standard court interpreting as risk management 108
- Women as interpreters in colonial New Netherland 126
-
Interpreting as a profession
- Who is an interpreter? 148
- Interpreting in a project network 168
-
Interpreter education
- ‘The times they are a-changin’ 196
- Systemic modelling 214
-
Interpreting and ‘new’ media
- Interpreting for access 236
- Are interpreters and interpreting technology ready for the post-Covid era? 254
-
Afterword
- Hidden scenes behind a meteoric career 278
- Index 283
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introducing new hypertexts on Interpreting (Studies) 1
-
Methods and methodologies
- Exploring mixed methods in interpreting research 22
- User expectations research revisited 44
-
Quality in (simultaneous) interpreting
- A review of the evolution of survey-based research on interpreting quality using two models by Franz Pöchhacker 68
-
Public service interpreting
- “Is there anybody out there?” – “It’s happening, it’s out there. A lot is going on” 92
- Non-standard court interpreting as risk management 108
- Women as interpreters in colonial New Netherland 126
-
Interpreting as a profession
- Who is an interpreter? 148
- Interpreting in a project network 168
-
Interpreter education
- ‘The times they are a-changin’ 196
- Systemic modelling 214
-
Interpreting and ‘new’ media
- Interpreting for access 236
- Are interpreters and interpreting technology ready for the post-Covid era? 254
-
Afterword
- Hidden scenes behind a meteoric career 278
- Index 283
