Techniques and Gaps in Translation of Cultural Terms: A Case of Singing for Freedom
Abstract
This research paper presents a qualitative analysis of the translation techniques employed and the resultant gaps in the Nepali translation (Phūlko Ãkhāmā) of Ani Choying Drolma’s autobiography, Singing for Freedom. The study focuses specifically on the translation of cultural terms, which are often the most challenging elements to render across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
The primary objectives of the study are to identify the English cultural terms in the source text and their Nepali equivalents, to analyze the techniques used in their translation, and to pinpoint the gaps that arise in this process. The researcher adopted a qualitative research design, systematically selecting and analyzing 50 cultural terms from the autobiography. These terms were categorized into five domains: ecological, material, social, religious, and conceptual culture.
The findings reveal that seven distinct translation techniques were utilized: literal translation, substitution, borrowing, sense translation, elaboration, blending, and deletion. Among these, literal translation was the most frequently applied technique (14 instances), while deletion was the least (1 instance). The study concludes that while techniques like literal translation and borrowing were effective in many contexts, they, along with substitution, elaboration, and deletion, often created semantic and cultural gaps. A notable example is the translation of "eldest brother" as sautenĭdāĭ (step-brother), which fails to convey the precise familial relationship of the source text. Deletion, in particular, was found to omit cultural meaning, thereby preventing target language readers from accessing the original flavor of the text.
The study underscores that translation is not merely a linguistic exercise but a complex bicultural process. It concludes that a translator must possess a profound understanding of both the source and target cultures to minimize gaps and effectively communicate the original message. The research offers pedagogical implications and recommendations for translators, translation evaluators, and curriculum developers, emphasizing the need to incorporate translation as a core skill in language teaching and to further investigate the challenges of translating culture-specific concepts.
Keywords
Download Options
Introduction
The autobiography ‘Singing for Freedom’ is written by a famous Buddhist nun Ani Choying Drolma, who has an international fame, known specially for her amazing voice, which she puts to wonderful use- singing Buddhist chants across the world. The autobiography is translated into Nepali as Phūlko Ãkhāmā by the author herself which is very famous all over the world. It is a biography of a young woman who suffered family violence while growing up. Ani Choying Drolma made a determined effort to break the cycle of violence upon her by being ordained as a Buddhist nun. From the tender age of 12, under the guidance of her teacher Tulku Urgyen Rimpoche, she persisted to overcome her own daemons of anger and develop a good understanding of life. Till this day, she holds no ill feelings towards her father who has caused her much pain. On the contrary, she is grateful to him who provoked her to fight her way to cultivate into a good human being. In the process her extraordinary singing talent with angelic enchanting voice was discovered. What is more remarkable is her desire to help and liberate other girls and young women who are bad treated by taking them into the school.
AniChoying escaped her violent home for a monastery in Nepal, where a Buddhist monk offered her sanctuary and understanding, teaching her to embrace life again. Cheeky and mischievous by nature, she rebelled against the rule of the community at first and delighted in flouting convention by learning kung fu. But slowly she found a way to channel her rage towards her father into helping others.
Conclusion
From the above findings, it is concluded that while categorizing the cultural terms they need to be put in an appropriate category. For example, we put ‘ṭikā’ in religious category and this categorization helps the TL readers to understand that the term has the religious meaning in SL. There are many techniques while translating the cultural terms viz. literal, sense, transference, substitution, addition, deletion and so on. Literal translation is highly used while translating ecological and man-made cultural terms. Sense translation is helpful in translating conceptual terms. The deletion technique deletes the SL terms which prevent the TL reader to understand the original sense and furthermore it does not transfer the original flavor of the SLT. So, while translating it needs to be avoided as much as possible. Footnotes and definition techniques help in maintaining the originality and convey the meaning appropriately.
Language and culture are related to each other. It is commonly believed that one does not translate language but the culture. So, while translating the cultural norms, values, assumption and concepts need to be taken into an account. They need to be preserved firstly and translated in a suitable way. That’s why a translator must have sound knowledge of language and culture of both involved languages. Finally, the translated text must maintain the originality of the SLT and it should be readable for the TL readers. Translation has a great effect in the present day world. It should be done in an appropriate way by talking both linguistic and cultural aspect into consideration.
References
- Awasthi, J. R., Bhattarai, G. R., & Khaniya, T. R. (2014). Across languages and culture (2nd ed.). Vidyarthi Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.
- Bassnett, S. (2002). Translation studies (3rd ed.). Routledge.
- Bell, R. T. (1991). Translation and translating: Theory and practice. Longman.
- Brislin, R. W. (Ed.). (1976). Translation: Applications and research. Gardner Press.
- Catford, J. C. (1965). A linguistic theory of translation. Oxford University Press.
- Crystal, D. (1987). The Cambridge encyclopedia of language. Cambridge University Press.
- Hatim, B., & Munday, J. (2004). Translation: An advanced resource book. Routledge.
- Hervey, S., & Higgins, I. (1992). Thinking French translation: A course in translation method. Routledge.
- Holmes, J. S. (1972). The name and nature of translation studies. In L. Venuti (Ed.), The translation studies reader (pp. 172–185). Routledge. (Original work published 1972)
- McGuire, S. B. (1980). Translation studies. Methuen.
- Newmark, P. (1981). Approaches to translation. Pergamon Press.
- Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Prentice Hall.
- Nida, E. A., & Taber, C. R. (1969). The theory and practice of translation. E. J. Brill.
- Riccardi, A. (Ed.). (2010). Translation studies: Perspectives on an emerging discipline. Cambridge University Press.
- Richards, J. C., Platt, J., & Platt, H. (1995). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. Longman.