My Turn

The difficulties of translation

Language differences can be tricky to deal with if one is engaged in translation work. These differences can arise from, inter alia, the absence of certain concepts or objects in one community as opposed to another community. They may also arise from cultural differences between communities.

When I was a physics student, I attempted to translate Newton’s second law, which says “force equals mass times acceleration” into Chichewa. Force, mass and acceleration are concepts that are hardly discussed in Malawian communities and therefore, do not have local words. The best I could do was kakoka afanana ndithunthu kuchulikitsa ndi kasinthaliwiro. Some of the words in my translation were made up. I will leave it to the reader to decide whether the Chichewa version makes sense or not.

The translators of the Bible were not spared this hassle. The passage from Isaiah which says “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” was translated thus: “ngakhale zoipa zanu ziri zofiira zidzayera ngati matalala”. Now ‘snow’ does not exist in Malawi. The translation used is matalala. This translation does not carry the full weight of what was intended to be communicated. Matalala is hailstorm, which, though white, does not come anywhere close to the stunning whiteness of snow. If the analogy of ufa (maize flour) had been used, it would probably have conveyed something closer to the original and intended message.

The young of sheep are called lambs in English. The Chichewa equivalent for lamb does not exist. Therefore, the phrase “Lamb of God” has been variably translated as “Mwana wankhosa wa Mulungu” and “Kankhosa ka Mulungu”, Catholics preferring the latter and Protestants the former.Mwana wankhosa is a direct translation for “the young of sheep” and kankhosa simply means small sheep.

Cultural differences can be a source of much confusion in translation. A good example is the way we Malawians respect the elderly. The nouns, pronouns and adjectives that refer to elderly people are in plural form. The prefix ‘a’ is affixed to the noun as a matter of respect. For example, if somebody wants to introduce Mr Phiri, they will say awa ndi a Phiri rather than uyu ndi Phiri. Dzina lanu ndani? (what is your name) with the plural adjective lanu is normal when addressing an elderly person. The singular form (dzina lako ndani) would be regarded as disrespectful if it was used for an elderly person or one that should command respect.

The early missionaries to Blantyre Mission did not understand this. They went ahead to do some translations but applied English rather than local linguistic logic to their translations. In the magnificent St Michael and All Angles Cathedral, in the front area, where officiating church elders and deacons sit, is inscribed this Chichewa translation of the Lord’s Prayer by the early missionaries:

Atate watu uli mwamba, dzina lako liyeretsedwe, ufumu wako udze, kufuna kwako kuchitidwe monga kumwamba chomwe pasi pano.Utipatse ife lero chakudya chatu cha lero ndipo utikululukire mangawa atu chomwe ife tiwakululukira amangawa athu niusatitengere kwakuyesera koma utichotse ife kwa kwaipa. Amen.

All the personal adjectives in this translation are in singular form. Any speaker of the Chichewa language would shudder at this because it sounds disrespectful to the highest degree. Some enthusiasts would go so far as saying that this is satanic or influenced by demons.

The translators had no idea that this would sound disrespectful. In their own language singular nouns or pronouns or adjectives are used for elderly or respected persons just as for any other people. “Your name” would be the same for a young person as for an elderly one, whereas in Chichewa it would be “dzina lako” if you are addressing a young person and “dzina lanu” for an elderly one.

The bottom line is that direct translations often do not work. One needs to take into account a whole range of things if a translation is going to make sense or indeed to faithfully convey the intended message.

—The author is a provider of printing services and a social commentator.

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3 Comments

  1. Joshua has done well to discuss a very pertinent subject for a time like this, when our national language, Chichewa, is under relentless attack from within. Some Chichewa advertisements placed in the local media are quite hard to follow, especially when one reads or hears the original English version.
    When trying to convey a message from one language or culture into another, emphasis should be on interpretation rather than translation. The difference is that translation is about the words used while interpretation is about the idea.
    My memory goes back to the 1960s, at the dawn of our nationhood. In a speech emphasising that Malawi would develop but it would take time, Dr. Kamuzu Banda said, “Rome was not built in a day.” John Msonthi conveyed this time-tested proverb into Chichewa as, “Tsokonombwe adatha mtunda nkulumpha.” That’s great interpretation.
    Let me mention that The Nation has some of the best writers in Chichewa in Malawi at the moment, and companies would do well to consult them when drafting the Chichewa versions of their English advertisements so that they make better sense.

    1. I agree with the observations by Joshua and Cassius. I was listening to a radio advertisement a few days ago and it was to do with Mpamba or Airtel money, I can not tell. But the translator was talking about ” tayala kuphwa ndi chubu chomwe” meaning they had a double puncture hence could not bring the money in town. Why not just say they had a puncture or simply translate to “tayala” linatipwera. We need Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) in Malawi to scrutinise some of the adverts. That is my contribution to the otherwise good debate started by my old collge friend Joshua.

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