Translating Proverbs

Abstract

The thesis entitledTranslating proverbsis an attempt of the researcher to findout the techniques employed in translating the proverbs from Nepali totheEnglishlanguage. The main aim of the study is to find out the effective techniques that areused while translating the proverbs from the Nepal to the English language. Tomeet the objectives of the research, five translators were requested to translate theproverbs. The collected data were analyzed using the observation check list. Onlyobservation was used as a tool to collect required data. The study was based onlyon the secondary sources of information. The study showed that only the fourtechniques of translation (sense translation-72%, equivalence replacementtranslation-17%, cultural equivalence translation-8%, and literal translation-3%)were employed by the translators while translating the Nepali proverbs into theEnglish language. Among these, the equivalence replacement technique was foundusedin translating the global proverbs. Local proverbs were translated using otherthree techniques-sense translation, cultural equivalence translation, and literaltranslation techniques. Equivalent replacement in the target language was the mosteffective technique of translating the proverbs having global reference of meaningand the wider coverage. But, it became comprehensible and intelligible only whenthe cultural meaning was not centered in the source text. Sense translation wasfound the most frequent and the most common techniques of translating the localproverbs. Cultural equivalence translation was found faithful to the targetlanguage culture.The thesis has been divided into the four chapters.The first chapter deals with thegeneral background, literature review,objectives and the significance of the study.The second chapter contains the methodology which is sub-chaptered as thesources of data, sampling procedure, tools for data collection, process of datacollection and the limitations of the study. The thirdchapter includes the analysisand interpretation of the data obtained from the field. The last chapter has thefindings and recommendations of the study in which some pedagogicalimplications have also been recommended to better the findings of this study.