AndrewKloes<scp>and</scp>Laura M.Mair, eds.: Social Christianity in Scotland and beyond, 1800–2000. Essays in Honour of Stewart J. Brown. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2024; pp. ix + 298.

Part V, "Religions in New Contexts," builds on the historical focus of Part IV by examining how translation facilitates the movement of religions into new cultural and geographical settings.This section underscores the adaptive and transformative nature of translation, with chapters such as Daniel Boucher's on Chinese Buddhism and Dmitry Bondarev's on West African Muslim translation practices, illustrating how sacred texts are reinterpreted to resonate with new audiences.The emphasis on cultural adaptation in this section connects to earlier discussions of power and ideology in Parts III and IV, creating a thematic bridge that underscores the centrality of translation in shaping religious traditions across contexts.The final section, Part VI, "Critical Perspectives from Translators," centres the voices of translators.These chapters offer a reflective and deeply personal experience of translating sacred texts.David Solomon's chapter on the Zohar, for example, grapples with the philosophical and ethical dilemmas of rendering mystical texts into new languages, while Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh's discussion of Sikh scripture emphasizes the relational nature of translation.This section ties back to the conceptual and methodological concerns introduced in Parts I and II, reinforcing the idea that translation is not merely a technical process but a deeply human and interpretative act.While the thematic organization of the Handbook allows for an impressive diversity of perspectives, it also presents challenges in terms of cohesion.The transitions between sections are not always clearly articulated, and readers may struggle to discern how the different parts connect to form a unified whole.Also, a concluding chapter synthesizing the six parts would have enhanced its coherence, providing readers with a clearer roadmap for navigating its diverse themes.Despite these structural challenges, the Handbook excels in its interdisciplinary scope and global reach.By addressing traditions as varied as Jainism, Sikhism, West African Islam, and Chinese Buddhism, it successfully de-centres the Eurocentric and Judeo-Christian focus that has often dominated both translation studies and religious studies.Its engagement with feminist and postcolonial critiques, though unevenly distributed across the Handbook, represents an important step toward diversifying the field.The Handbook also grapples with the politics of translation, challenging the notion of translation as a neutral or purely linguistic act.Karen Bennett's discussion of Jesuit translations and Yazid Haroun's analysis of Quranic translations highlight how translation mediates power dynamics and shapes religious authority.At its best, The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Religion reveals the transformative power of translation in shaping religious traditions, practices, and meanings.Its exploration of the intersections between language, culture, and the sacred is both rigorous and thought-provoking, offering valuable insights for scholars across disciplines.It challenges readers to rethink how religious meanings are constructed, contested, and transformed in an interconnected world, presenting translation as a constitutive force in the mediation of the sacred.