Issues Faced By A Translator In Translating Cultural Words Under The 5th Cultural Category Introduced By Peter Newmark: Sinhala To English

Abstract

According to Newmark (1988) there are five cultural categories which a translator should focus on. The cultural categories vary from culture to culture and there are distinguished characteristics among them. This study focuses on the cultural words associated with the fifth cultural category ‘Gestures and Habits’ of the Sinhala culture and issues faced by a translator in translating those words from Sinhala to English. The required data were collected through observations and discussions. The gathered data were critically analysed separately under the two sectors, gestures and habits. Through the analysed data, it was found out that the cultural words under gestures and habits of the Sinhala culture have been greatly influenced by the Sri Lankan Sinhala customs and traditions and the translator sometimes found it difficult to translate because those customs and traditions are totally different from the target language culture. Furthermore, it was also found out that a translator should have a sound knowledge on the source language culture and the target language culture in addition to the language knowledge and skills. Therefore, the cultural knowledge will pave the path for a successful translation.