Language and Translation of African Literature

By

Obododimma Oha

***

One big issue that arises here is literary translation and how to handle it.

African Literature already has a controversy over language. Added to that controversy is the translation of what is called African literature. On this interesting topic, therefore, one has to discuss

(1) Literariness of the translation

(2) Language choice and use in the writing of African literature

(3) The writing of African literature in colonial languages

(4)The existence of some African literature in translations

The Literariness of the Translation :

It is not easy to translate literary texts, what more second-language literary texts. In such a translation, one is challenged not only to capture the context of the ST, but also the style of language used. So, it is not just a matter of looking for equivalents or replacements.

The translator becomes a second author of the text or a clone, a proxy, to be less problematic! As a proxy author, the translator has to imagine what the original author wants to say and how. Maybe this construction is awkward. Maybe that language would say it better.

Language Choice :

There is a popular belief that the language chosen to write African literature determines the identity of that literature. We will not go into that controversy now. It is best left to experts of African literature. But the point that concerns us is that choice of language not only brings in identity but also the fact that translation and transfer of meaning would be involved.

The language chosen, if it is a context of the use of many languages, means that it is proper to recognize the translator's bilinguality and look for how it affects text-making. The choice of a language in which the text-maker is not very competent in is not good for the literature.

So, if writers are choosing a language, they are also making a statement or confessing their command of language.

African Literature in Another Language as a Translated Literature :
 
There is a belief that some written African literature is already home to a language and that if it has to be written in a colonial language, it involves a search for stylistic equivalences and a transfer of meaning. This means that if we are talking of African literature, we have to deal with translation issues that arise.

We do not want to join the argument but have to note that, if African literature is already in a language, it is true that when communicated in a second or third language, transfer arises. That transfer is a translation matter. What we want to suggest is not the politics around this argument but that analysts should be prepared to deal with the stylistic dimensions of the transfer. 

Some Options Used in  the Transfer by Some Writers   of African Literature :

--- loans of some words and expressions from the SL considered untranslatable. 
- - cushioning of equivalents in the TT to make meaning of referents clearer to readers.
- - employment of literal translation sometimes
--- the use of the nearly-equivalent in the translation.
 

Loans:

In many cases, translation equivalents cannot just   be found. Thus the translator of African Literature is  left with the option of borrowing entirely from the ST, hoping the reader would get the meaning from the context around the text.

Loan means deferment of translation! Or making the reader a co-translator of the text.

Some words and ideas may bring in convergence and divergence in the translation. Convergence when there is just one  word in the TT for different varieties and divergence when there are many types of one to be translated. For instance, if I am translating the Igbo "ọsa" and "uze" into English, I am confronting a case of convergence, for English people only call all the "squirrels" without any differentiation. It is the Igbo who perceive and encode the difference in their discourses.

Cushioning or Blending:

Cushioning is seen in expressions like "eroala the night hawk" and "eneke ntioba the bird." Again, the African writer using them is posturing as a translator and is helping the reader to understand
This also means asking the reader to find out more and finish the translation.

It is actually a blend of two languages! A partial type of translation.

It could also be done for aesthetic reasons, to give a special style that suggests contextual character to the narrative.

African narratives where this strategy is often found is the Chinua Achebe type, which tries to reflect the context of the narrative itself. In other words, it has other ideological motivation in its use.

Literal Translation Option:

Literal translation is generally bad translation and weak bilingualism but it is used sometimes in

-- creating humor, as in Nkem Nwankwo's *My Mercedes Is Bigger Than Yours* and Gabriel Ọkara's *The Voice*.

-- maintaining closeness to the original context of the text

--- helping the reader to grasp full meaning where equivalents cannot be found easily.

In other words, literal translation is just used as a makeup.

Use of Near-equivalents:

Finding equivalents in translation is not easy. Some words or ideas just don't have equivalents in other contexts. This is a big problem of cultural relativity. Even when equivalents are found, these also create problems because the situation cannot be reproduced. The equivalent may impose a different situation on the text.

In the case of African Literature, this means another dislocation, unfortunately. The near-equivalent takes what is meant further far off.

It would look in this case as if translation not only distorts African literature but also creates alienation in it.

Translating African Literature from a Colonial  Language to a Colonial Language :

This is another big issue for the translation. Moving the literature that is already alienated to  another colonial language is like carnivores tearing and sharing the carcass of an unfortunate creature they have killed. The governing ideology is domination and rule with language as a weapon. That means extended domination and rule. What can make a subject forget an African identity better than such a loss in a language jungle?

It also means searching for equivalents in languages in which one cannot claim to competence like the native speaker. Currently, some texts of African Literature are not even availablec to many African readers because they cannot speak orfr write these colonial languages. How can they answer experts of African literature when they have not read these texts?

***

Matters such as the choice of language for African literature and the translation of this literature are very crucial. I have presented some issues for us to think about in our practice and education on translation.