When Izbjeglica and Muhadžir are Not Refugees: Translation in Focus

ABSTRACT

The interchanging of a word from one language to a seeming equivalent in another language is a practice that is underpinned by a universalist conceptualisation of the world. This method of translation is adopted by online services such as Google Translate, is common practice in bilingual dictionaries such as in English/Bosnian print dictionaries and has been adopted in numerous publications published in the English language that report on research conducted with speakers of the Bosnian language. One example is the prevalence of interchanging the English word ‘refugee’ for the Bosnian word ‘izbjeglica’ and visa versa. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with Bosnian language speakers resident in Australia and Türkiye, this article describes how the practice of interchanging from one language to another results in the dismissal of meanings and argues that translation practices need to be given more attention in the field of migrant and refugee studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Translation
• refugee
• Bosnian language
• interchange
• foreignise

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 Openness to interlocutors’ concerns characterises and distinguishes anthropological fieldwork from other forms of qualitative research. Through ethnography one describes the practices and understandings of import to interlocutors and through this detail one can note variation as well as similarity among interlocutors and this can be considered suggestive of cultural practices and understandings. However, claims to generalisation are not made nor intended.

2 Pseudonyms are used to abide by the terms for confidentiality agreed upon with interlocutors. Non-ethnically and non-religiously identifiable pseudonyms have been used for the purpose of not imposing such forms of identification on interlocutors.

3 The category ‘Permanent movement arrivals (settlers)’ is defined in the Australian Bureau of Statistics glossary to contrast with ‘Short-term movement’, whereby the latter is one whose ‘intention to stay in Australia is less than twelve months’ (ABS 1996:73–43).

4 Stefansson (2006: 129) noted that ‘Serbs’ avoided referring to themselves as ‘displaced persons’ because it evoked connotations of homelessness, impoverishment, and unculturedness, criminality and extremism. What the source word specifically was, however, was not discussed.