Benedikta Zur Nieden de Echavarría, traductora: Transferencia cultural en el contexto pedagógico colombiano a mediados del siglo XX

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role of German philanthropist and pedagogue Benedikta Zur Nieden de Echavarría, as a translator and cultural mediator in Antioquia (Colombia), a role which has been unacknowledged so far. Zur Nieden de Echavarría is acknowledged in the local cultural scene of the mid-20th century as a high-society lady, who had a significant impact on the political and educational spheres of the region, but whose role as a translator and mediator in the transmission and implementation of the Waldorf education model in the local context is largely ignored. We will present a translational profile of zur Nieden de Echavarría through the description and analysis of the translations published in Revista Cuadernos de Micael, which she founded, and which became the vehicle for the dissemination of said model. Wewill also explore some pedagogical and cultural activities that she undertook, in order to build such profile. Thus, we make the case that her work transcends a mere "altruistic" nature, and becomes a way of dissemination of pedagogical knowledge, presenting her as a cultural agent whose value for the history of culture and education in the region needs to be recognized.