Concealing Eḷu Terms with Sanskrit Borrowings: A Respond to the Conflict between Sense and Style in Translating Classics.

Abstract

Among the basic requirements of translation, transferring the content and the sense of the source text is of paramount importance. On the other hand, being faithful to the style of the source text is equally important. Compromising between these two extents is a delicate matter, which is one of the challenges encountered in the translation of classical literary work. The aim of this study has been to examine this conflict with reference to Guruḷugomi’s /ama: waturə/ and its English translation, ‘Amavatura (The Flood of Nectar)’ by Udaya Prasanta Meddegama. Here, the focus has been on the Eḷu (pure Sinhalese) terms used affluently in /ama: waturə/, marking a significant character of Guruḷugomi’s writing style. Data were compiled through a comparison between the two texts and the manner that Eḷu terms have been dealt with was enquired. Accordingly, it was identified that a considerable number of Eḷu terms of the source text have been replaced by their Sanskrit equivalents in the translation, as a result of which, the said character of Guruḷugomi’s writing style writing style has been concealed. Here, though the preservation of Eḷu terms would have marked faithfulness to the style of the source text, direct transfer of such terms would have resulted obscurity, since they are not familiar to the target readers of the translation. On the other hand, the concealment of Eḷu terms by replacing them with their Sanskrit equivalents has marked unfaithfulness to the style. However, this measure has paved the way for the maintenance of sense, since many Sanskrit terms denoting Buddhist religious concepts are anglicised and have become comprehensible to English readers. Accordingly, the conclusion is made here that the translator has responded in favour of the sense at the conflict between sense and style, and the concealment of Eḷu terms with Sanskrit equivalents is a measure taken to make the translation more comprehensible to the target readers.