Difficulties in Translating Malayalam Idioms and Proverbs in to English

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Translation is both a literary activity as well as a creative writing. It is a process of replanting the traditional notion of rendering of Source Language (SL) text in to Target Language (TL) text. In the opinion of Ayyappa Paniker, a notable Malayalam writer, “till the 19th century, Indian translators were not affected unduly by the anxiety of being through to the original and the spirit”. This accounts for the different versions of the Ramayana, The Mahabharata, Upanishad and Gita in different Indian languages. We can see that the Ramayana of Kamban in Tamil is more Dravidian epic than the Sanskrit classic.
Malayalam language is known for its varieties of word usages. Through these usages, its cultural background and hierarchical discourses are seen. Each word is unique in its original language. When it is translated, its irony and cultural values moves onto unfamiliar scenarios. In the process of translation, the essence of a text is more prominent than words and phrases. Words will not be used in its ordinary sense, but in different implication. The main drawbacks of translation includes the use of footnotes in each and every page and without the footnotes, one cannot appreciate the significance properly. As a result, the reader loses his/her attention and focus .Kerala is very rich in cultural practices and traditional beliefs. So, they are very concerned about their ancient customs. Let us examine the popular folksong in Kerala to show the difficulties in translating a culturally bounded text.

The poem in Source Language

“Maveli Nadu vaneedum kalam
Maanushyar ellarum onnupole
Aammodathode irikkumkalam
Aapathonnarkum ottillathanum”

Translated Version

“When Maveli rules over the...

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...r place. The poem loses its significance as it is far removed from the context in which it is being translated. Each and every genre of literature contains the original order and the proper arrangements. It gets destroyed the moment it is translated. A poem cannot be translated to get the original form, rhyme and rhythm. It is impossible to translate keeping both these aspects in mind. The Reader can only assume that form is an external decoration in the translated works.
Translation of the cultural and traditional terms in Malayalam is the major challenge during translation. Common words are very hard to translate .It is not an easy task to transplant the text from one culture in to another. The originality of the meanings are thus lost in the act of translation.

Works Cited

Catford, J.C. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London: Oxford University,1965.Print.

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