How have different cultures defined and used “sacred languages” and how have modern translators contended with the sacredness of the languages they translated from or into? This seminar engages the field of secularism studies through an exploration of philosophical and literary writings concerning language and translation. We discuss scholarship at the intersection of postcolonial studies, secularism, and translation (Talal Asad, Saba Mahmood, Michael Allan, Naomi Seidman), alongside early twentieth-century writings on the interplay of the sacred and the secular (Walter Benjamin, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Haim Nahman Bialik). We read these latter texts in the context of World War I, German conquest and defeat, and the rise of Jewish nationalism and the Zionist movement. We also consider how writings on translation and language have been shaped by the losses of World War I and II and the search for renewed spirituality. The course incorporates materials from a variety of cultures and languages, based on students’ research interests and projects.