Lost In Translation: Gods and Devils

Language. There are thousands of unique languages spanning the globe and as the world becomes more and more global, an increasing number of interactions and translations between those languages occur. Translating between languages can be a daunting task, as many people who have taken a foreign language class know. Sometimes a mistake in translation can leading to a hilarious and embarrassing error. However, other times, the mistranslation of a word has devastating consequences.

The mistranslation of the word “Viracocha”, for instance, allowed the Spanish to justify their conquest of the Inca empire in the 1500s. When the Spanish first encountered the Incas in the 1530s, the Inca called them Viracocha. The Spanish believed this meant God and therefore that the indigenous people thought that they were Gods.

During this time, Europeans were debating whether or not the indigenous peoples of America were rational human beings who were capable of converting to Christianity. If they were, than they would be capable of ruling over themselves. If they were not, then Europeans would be “justified” in colonizing them and watching over them until they grew up. Therefore, the Spanish’s perception of the Incas was crucial to the justification of their conquest. From the Spanish’s perspective, the Incas calling them “Viracocha”, made the Inca inferior and needing to be parented.

However, according to Titu Cusi Yupanqui, an Inca rebel at the time of the Spanish conquest, Viracocha simply meant different. They called the Spanish Viracocha “because they differed much from us in clothing and appearance and because they rode very large animals with silver feet… each was so different from the other, some having black beards and the other red ones and, finally, because they saw them eating out of silver dishes."

Even if the indigenous people had at first mistaken the Spanish for deities, this did not mean that they were inferior. In fact, according to Jose de Acosta, a Spanish missionary during the conquest, the Spanish had previously made the very same mistake of confusing foreigners for Gods. Therefore, this mistake did not make the Spanish better than the indigenous people and justify their conquest of them.

Similarly, a mistranslation of a passage in the Bible in the book of Exodus lead to the misconception of Moses- and therefore Jews- having horns. The passage states that after Moses received the tablets of law “he was not aware that the skin on his face Karan because he had spoken with the Lord.” The word Karan has often been mistranslated to horns, leading to works such as Michelangelo's famous sculpture of a horned Moses.

However, while Karan could mean horns, it could also mean ray of light. If the author had meant horns, why specify “the skin on his face” rather than simply “his face”? “The skin” implies that his entire face grew protrusions. So instead of saying that Moses grew horns, the passage most likely meant that his face was radiant.

Even if the author actually meant that Moses grew horns, horns had a very different connotation at the time. In ancient civilizations, horns were a common way to show strength and power. Bovine was often related to the divine- The Mesopotamian moon God was a bull and many Babylonian Gods wore headdresses with horns. Famous conquerors such as Alexander the Great are said to have worn horns and horns were used as an authoritative symbol by kings and priests. Horns may have been a way to show Moses’ elevated status after meeting with God as the word did not yet have the negative association of being related to the devil.

Whether it was a mistake in translation or due to cultural differences, in both the case of Viracocha and Karan, the different interpretations has had disastrous consequences for their respective peoples, allowing others to "justify" their monsterous treatment of fellow human beings.

The Inca were cruelly conquered by the Spanish, managing to hold out for around 50 years until their rebellion was finally crushed. Diseases like smallpox that the Spanish and other Europeans brought with them to the Americas devastated the Inca population, aiding the Spanish in their conquest. Even though the Inca managed to maintain some of their traditions, their grand empire was no more.

Moses’ horns were transmitted onto all Jews, and associated with the devil and devil worship, helping spread centuries upon centuries of antisemitism and suffering.

In a world with so many unique languages and cultures, one must be aware of and respectful of those differences. By doing so, people can see past falsities caused by the mistranslation of words and the distortion of time.

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