By Daryl Dolf Phanbuh
A world without interpreters is incomprehensible; if there were no translations available, people would never be able to read their beloved novels, comprehend foreign cinematic classics, or enjoy binge-watching European or Korean shows. Dante’s la divina commedia (1321) or Divine Comedy (English Translation) would not be known in a world without translators.
They are an indispensable part of society, playing an important role in bringing nations together; facilitating dialogue, understanding, and cooperation; helping interpersonal communication; preserving clarity; and ensuring a positive climate and productivity in international public discourse.
International Translation Day or Bible Translation Day (September 30) is a special day for all translators since it honours their contributions in preserving cultural diversity and fostering international understanding. Additionally, this day serves as a reminder to all readers and viewers of the importance of translators in eradicating linguistic barriers and differences.
This year’s international theme is “Translation unveils the many faces of Humanity”.
This day is, therefore, an opportunity to appreciate the work of translators, interpreters, and others in the language service industry.
Translation Methods
The saga of translation in North East India commenced in the 19th century, with the efforts of missionaries, who took it upon themselves to translate the Holy Bible for the native people, inhabiting the lands. The Khasi Hills were not lagging behind in this regard.
Reverend (Rev) Zhodi Angami, Associate Director (Translation), Bible Society of India, Translation Centre Arbuthnot Road, Laitumkhrah, spoke about the significance of translations in general, including the devices that were implemented in interpreting the Scriptures in Khasi language during this time.
The world’s most translated book is the Bible (From Greek, Hebrew to English).
The historical background of the translation of Khasi scriptures is known to many – a fascinating journey of 100 years.
“Translating the Scripture is not an easy task. It involves a keen eye for observation, and interpreting can take at least 25 years, including publishing and the release of the book,” he said.
Earlier, the main tool used during the translation of the Khasi Bible was formal equivalence, which means literal or ‘word for word’ translation. Zhodi asserted that translators have shunned using literal translation as a device for the Scripture because using it would utterly distort the true meaning of the ‘source text’. For instance, a verse from the Book of Exodus 3:8 (Old Testament) reads:
“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey – the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites” – which literally translates to:
Bad nga la wan hiar ma ngaban pyllaitnohia ki na ka kti ki Ijipt, bad ban ialamnohia ki na kata
ka ri sha ka ribabha bad bakhraw, sha ka ri ka batuid da ka dud bad ka ngap ; sha ka jaka ki Kan ‘in, bad ki Hit, bad ki Amor, bad ki Peris, bad ki Hib, bad ki Jebus De.
He iterated that this particular translated text is misleading; most readers don’t know the thought behind it. They translate it literally and now the whole world is a victim to the ignorance of the western trust makers – because they say “land flowing with milk and honey”. On visiting Israel, do people find milk flowing there or millions of bees, with honey flowing down from the hives?
“We don’t have any place that is flowing with milk or honey. It’s an idiom referring to a very rich and fertile land. Instead of translating that, they say that God has promised them a place flowing with milk and honey. From English to all the languages that I’ve seen, transmissions say land flowing with milk and honey. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not correct because they did not translate the meaning. If we don’t know that idiom, we will translate it literally. People just think this is the term interplayed with milk and honey,” he stated.
“It’s not literal. This informs us that this is an idiom. Interestingly, although the mistake was made, it’s not a total loss; there are some other idioms that might have obscured the meaning of the battle because we don’t know the idiom,” Zhodi remarked.
Presently, translators have adopted, in lieu of literal translation, Nida’s dynamic equivalence. In simple terms, this means ‘thought for thought’ translation.
The theory was propounded by Eugene Nida, an American linguist, in From One Language to Another (1986). He believed that the translator should focus on the meaning and spirit of the original text, rather than the formal equivalence of the language structure of the original text.
“Translators translate the meaning, not the word. Because word for word can convey a wrong meaning, but if you translate the meaning, then the reader benefits from that as they can understand the word of God better. You get the meaning of the word in the translation,” Zhodi said.
Roots
The first translation of the Bible into Khasi language was made by a woman. Rev William Carey’s second wife, Charlotte Emilia Rumohr worked with him on translations. But the woman concerned was a widow from a previous marriage, who went on to become his third wife, Grace Hughes.
The exact identity of the lady is uncertain; what is known is she helped him in translating the New Testament, which took 10 years to prepare; it was printed in Serampore in 1824. It remained a sealed book for almost seven years since there was never a chance to distribute it to the intended audience.
When several Serampore missionaries travelled to Sohra (British renamed as Cherrapunjee) in 1832, they were once again drawn to the spiritual needs of the locals. A missionary station was established; Carey was the first missionary to begin work there. He turned his attention to a revision of the Khasi version. In 1834, he produced a new (amended) translation of the Gospel of Matthew (printed at Serampore in Roman characters).
Ten years later, (Rev) Thomas Jones of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists occupied this station, and executed a new translation of this gospel, in Roman characters and offered this to the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) in 1845. A small edition was printed as an experiment. After its value and fidelity were fully attested by competent persons, the translation of the entire New Testament was continued by the missionaries engaged on the station.
In 1871, the society announced that the translation and printing of the text in North East India “mountain dialect” had come to a successful conclusion by the Rev WG Lewis. Rev WT Meller aided him materially in his labours.
The report for 1879 stated that the missionaries of the Calvinistic Methodist Foreign Missionary Society were revising the New Testament. Rev Lewis was engaged in revising manuscript translations (sections of the text), including the Book of Psalms, apart from proofreading his work. Interestingly, Pentateuch has been the publisher of Bible translations since then.
Before the Roman alphabet, Bengali script was used. The decision to switch to Roman came upon discovery that the latter suited the sound system (phonetics) of Khasi. Take for example, the rendering of the Lord’s Prayer in Bangla script. It is almost incomprehensible to most Khasis: Ho u jung aban drau ba syong ha beneng u kpa, ka jung phi ka kartteng babha ‘un mane long’.
Transcribed in Roman script, the prayer reads, Ko Kypa jong ngi uba ha byneng; long ka Bakhuid ka Kyrteng jong me (1846).
Why September 30?
September 30 is observed as the feast of Saint Jerome, the Bible translator, who is considered the patron saint of translators. He was a priest from North-eastern Italy, who is known mostly for his endeavour of translating most of the Bible into Latin from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek. He was of Illyrian ancestry and his native tongue was the Illyrian dialect. He learned Latin in school and was fluent in Greek and Hebrew, which he picked up from his studies and travels.
“September 30 is St. Jerome’s Day. He’s the first translator of the entire Bible. We thought of getting the House and Senate to pass a resolution calling for the president to proclaim September 30 as Bible Translation Day,” Biblical scholars opined.
Although the Senate never officially passed the resolution, the United Nations passed International Translation Day in 2017 to honour the role of language professionals.
Commenting on this year’s theme, Zhodi added, “Translation is richer and potent. It opens up a whole new world of ideas, thoughts and experiences. Every translation is God speaking to a group of people and connecting to the language of their hearts. A good translation is seen when a translator uses readers’ native expressions.”
Different languages, according to him, are not a curse, but a divine blessing, with a strong sense of purpose.
The contribution of translators is immense. With people increasingly invested in reading different stories or watching world cinema, may the world take note of unsung heroes, who toil diligently, bringing the best from the different corners of the globe.