Los intérpretes de lenguas en el viaje de Ibn Faḍlān al reino búlgaro del Volga (s. X)

Abstract

Offers an analysis of data on the language interpreters of the diplomatic mission sent by the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad to the Bulgarian kingdom of Volga (10th century), as recorded in a report drawn up by one of its members, Ibn Faḍlān. The mission crossed Turkish territories, where it also engaged in a certain amount of diplomatic activity, and visited a Slavic commercial enclave. In this study, the author briefly examines the characteristics of the journey and its historical context, and then goes on to analyse and discuss the information about the language interpreters and their specific translations and interventions. Finally, all the data are combined in an attempt to establish the profiles of these interpreters together with their functions and ways of interpreting.