ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how work in translation studies has taken an interest in oral societies. Minority languages are underrepresented in translation studies. Work on oral literature remains rare in translation studies. Central to a critical appreciation of translation of oral tradition is the recognition that such 'translation' is in fact a multi-step process. Oral narratives are commonly told by many performers from generation to generation. Documentation of oral narratives serves a double purpose during participant observation: as a means for anthropologists to study details of the language of the host community, and as core elements of their culture. A particular way to study oral narratives is the documentation of oral history. For the translation of narratives from oral societies, it is also important to consider potential power relations between the fieldworkers and informants. The relationships between fieldworkers and informants are not simple.
