Should I alter a quote, if in today's world it might be considered racist? [closed]
Translation and citing are two different things. If the original uses a word that is not offensive in the source language (or was not offensive at the time of writing), then translating it using a word that is offensive in the target language is not a good translation.
And I don't believe you can use [sic] other than in a verbatim quote.
You keep the equivalent of the translation, regardless of political correctness. The source and your analysis should make clear that the work is older and therefore racially discriminatory. Otherwise, you are changing the text to something other than the original meaning.
Think of this way: should someone edit "Huck Finn" when translating it, removing the word 'nigger' for the purpose of making the book appear 'less offensive'? Of course not. The use of the word is essential to the work. and Huck Finn would not be Huck Finn as we know it without the word.
EDIT/UPDATE: translation in and of itself will always contain some subjectivity on the part of the translator. Languages and their semantic structures are not equal; the translation makes his/her own choices in how he/she will translate.
If you are doing translating a fact with the intention of keeping it as literal a translation as possible, you don't have the 'right' to change the meaning. You are translating to keep the original meaning, and your only purpose is to broaden the number of readers (by making the text readable in a different language).
I agree with Lisa P.'s answer, but want to add the following:
You should keep the equivalent of the translation but do be aware that it is considered racist and derogatory:
offensive, dated
A member of a dark-skinned group of peoples originally native to Africa south of the Sahara.
(Oxford Dictionaries)
You should definitely make it aware that you have translated it exactly (including any derogatory terms) either in any notes on the translation or by the use of the word sic.
Used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original
(Oxford Dictionaries)
This use would definitely be appropriate for a thesis as it is the academically accepted method of pointing out an exact quote.
You ought only to change the word if it is used in such a way that offence is not meant. Even in this circumstance, I would advise against changing the text to something different to the original meaning.
It depends on the original language of the quoted work. First is where to get/how to generate the translated quote:
If the quote is from a non-English source, you can translate it however you need too. It would be good, but not essential, to use an official English translation if one exists.
If the quote is originally from English, I recommend finding and using the original source rather than making your own translation.
In any case, I recommend a translator's note with the source of the translation.
If you are translating it yourself, and the quote author was not using the word derogatorily, choose an English word that matches the original intent of the quote author but is not offensive. If he did mean it derogatorily, or if the same word is used in the original English source or an official translation, you have a few choices. Which one is preferred depends on the conventions of the field.
Leave the offensive word in without comment.
Leave the offensive word out, but place "[sic]" after it. Combined with the translator's note, this clearly indicates that it's the original quote author's language, not what you or the author of the thesis chose.
Replace the offensive word with a nonoffensive synonym in square brackets: e.g., "viewed [dark-skinned people]." That avoids the offensive word while clearly indicating that it was replaced. But in some fields, changing a quote in this way is not acceptable because it obscures the original wording.