In the Western imaginary, the diversity of languages is associated with divine punishment. The Old Testament episode of the Tower of Babel (Gen 2 , 1-9) constructs the myth of the loss of an original language shared by all humankind and its replacement with a multiplicity of languages as synonymous with dispersion and confusion. 

In contrast, in the New Testament miracle of Pentecost, the differentiation of languages is interpreted in terms of redemption and grace: without restoring the lost primordial tongue, the Holy Spirit ensures immediate understanding through different languages. In other words, it is spiritual, not linguistic unity that is restored.

Both Biblical images place us before the necessary task of translation to enable the peoples of the Earth to understand each other. Between the silence that points to the ineffability of spiritual experience and the words around which the various religious traditions have been organized, translation emerges as a bridge to facilitate intercultural dialogue.