Translation and (counter-)intelligence: the interpenetration of social-systemic boundary phenomena

ABSTRACT

Translation and (counter-)intelligence are two social-systemic boundary phenomena. Translation acts on the outside of the boundary, ectohomorously; (C)I acts on the inside, endohomorously. This article describes the complex interaction between them. Their functioning may overlap, as is the case in (C)I field operations, or they may act separately, as at (C)I headquarters. In the field, agents operate within a narrow, very focused sector with precise tactical tasks and they simply cannot always afford to have translators helping them; in the field, translation and (C)I tend to interact within one and the same agent who acts both endo- and ectohomorously. At headquarters, (C)I is removed from direct exposure to the enemy, so it can afford to act endohomorously and delegate the ectohomorous function to translation. Moreover, (C)I activities at HQ are strategic and cover expansive geopolitical regions, making it impossible to combine the endo- and ectohomorous functions in one agent. As a result, the focus of (C)I is on endohomorous functions, such as planning and carrying out (counter-)intelligence activities, and translation is practised by special agents: ‘linguists’ or ‘translators’.

KEYWORDS:

• Translation
• intelligence
• sociology of translation
• boundary phenomena
• CIA

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributor

Sergey Tyulenev is Director of the MA in Translation Studies at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University, UK. His research interests include the epistemology of translation as well as the sociology and history of translation. Among his publications are Applying Luhmann to Translation Studies (2011), Translation and the Westernization of Eighteenth-Century Russia (2012), Translation and Society (2014) and Translation in the Public Sphere (2018). His personal website is www.tyulenev.org.