Chandrasiri 1

Use of Sri Lankan English to Preserve Originality in the Translation of ‘Madol Doova’

Abstract

Ashley Halpe's translation of 'Madol Doova' by Martin Wickramasinghe is the translation of one
of the most legendary teenage adventure novels written in Sinhala. The novel, written in Sinhala,
consists of a specialty of Wickramasinge, which is his ability to create the beauty and simplicity
of village life through his narrative. The translation of such a text from Sinhala into English needs
to be done by a skilled translator who is able to understand the importance of preserving its
authenticity during the process of translation. This paper will examine how the translator preserves
the originality of the Sri Lankan novel through a variety of Sri Lankan English. This paper
examines how the translator attempts to bridge the vast gap between Sinhala and English so as not
to fail his English readers. Halpe uses loan words, code mixing, and word to word translations of
words, phrases, idioms, idiomatic expressions, sayings, and curse words to satisfactorily preserve
the originality of the translated work. The translator also introduces misheard English phrases to
create humour. This gives character to the novel and it further aids in the claim of the existence
and recognition of the translated works' originality and homage to the original text.

Key words: SLE, Translation, Languages, English, Sinhala

Introduction

The introduction of the English language as a result of colonization encouraged Sri Lankan

writers to write both poetry and prose in English. The emergence of many Sri Lankan authors who

wrote in English was due to the increasing demand for English texts within Sri Lanka due to the

popularity and widespread use of English by the literate and educated upper and upper middle

classes in Sri Lanka. This demand not only encouraged Sri Lankan authors to write their work in

English, but it also paved the way for many texts written in Sinhala and Tamil to be translated into

English. Of the texts which were translated into English, some of the translators have successfully

translated the works without completely uprooting the cultural and semantic meanings in the

process of translation.

Although translation allows a work to be completely rewritten in another language, it is

important for the text to retain some of the originality it possessed in its own language. The

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complete termination of what the writer desired to state through the story will only produce a

translated work which lacks any character. The aim of the paper is to document the translation

variety of Sri Lankan English (SLE) used by the translator with respect to the Sri Lankan novel

'Madol Doova', written by Martin Wickramasinghe1 and translated by Ashley Halpe. This paper

will discuss how the translator has used a specific and sensitive variety of SLE to translate the

novel with a high level of preservation of the novel’s originality and examine the impact of the

translation on the reader during the process of reading the text.

Non-native translated fiction allows readers who are unable to read the original text to

expose themselves to the thoughts and ideas of the writer. However, during the process of

translation, at times, the text loses its originality and value due to the dominant role played by the

translator. If the translator overpowers the text in translation, it does not carry the same originality

as the original work. In this context, if the translator is skilled enough to complement the original

text in translation without disrupting its quality, then the translated work, to an extent, can carry

the same elements as the first text. Although this occurs rarely, due to the translator’s own forgetful

nature, they are simply interpreters for foreign readers. When such a work of harmony between the

translator and writer is found, it enables the reader to enjoy the author’s creativity.

Literature Review

1
See Wickrǝmǝsinghǝ, M. (2002). Madol dūwǝ. (32vǝnǝ mudrǝnǝyǝ). Nāwǝlǝ, Rāɉǝgirijǝ: Sarǝsǝ mudrǝnālǝyǝ

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Texts translated from various languages into English are due to the high demand of foreign

readers. "In Africa and India, writers such as Chinua Achebe2 and Salman Rushdie3 have argued

that writing in English allows them to reach a national audience, and so to break down the barriers

between different ethnic groups within the nation (Innes, 100). As English is one of the most widely

used languages in the world, and because of its global and linked language properties, translation

of texts into English occurs almost in all corners of the world. Therefore, in the process of

translating a work into English, the translator should not completely adhere to the norms of the

English language, thus disrupting or completely destroying the meaning and contents of the text.

The translator should be more sensitive towards the translation of the text by being more biased

towards the original text and language, as this enables the text to carry almost all of the elements

of the original.

When translating a work into any language, the words become "‘one’s own’ only when the

speaker populates them with his own intention, his own accent, when he appropriates the word,

adapting it to his own semantic and expressive intention" (Bakhtin, 294). If the translator uses the

words in English without forming a connection between the writer’s language and the context in

which the words are used, the translated text will appear quite alien, ignorant, and farfetched from

the original text. Therefore, it is the duty and the talent of the translator to "take the word, and

make it one’s own" (Bakhtin, 294) with regard to manipulating the target language in translation.

2
Albert Chinalmg Achebe (born 16 November 1930 in Lagos, Nigeria; died 21 March 2013 in Lagos) was a
Nigerian writer, poet, and critic who is often considered as the most influential person in contemporary African
literature.
3
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie FRSL (born 19 June 1947) is a writer and essayist of Indian origin who lives in the
United Kingdom. His work, which incorporates elements of magical realism and historical fiction, is mainly
concerned with the many links, disturbances, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, with the
majority of his stories situated on the Indian subcontinent.

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It is true that "there is no greater intellectual challenge than building bridges of

intelligibility among these languages, but at the same time, their individual linguistic and cultural

identities need to be respected" (Kelly and Zetzsche, 10). Katan (2015) states that this is because

"language has a setting... language does not exist apart from culture" (73) yet there is disagreement

as Newmark (1988) claims that "if it were so, translation would be impossible" (95). However,

regardless of the disagreements, language exists because of culture and it should be preserved to

the highest level during translation. This will create a productive translation with many of the

characteristics of the original text. English will be used after localizing the language and creating

a variety which will aid the translator to exactly say what the writer stated without English acting

as a barrier for the text to retain its originality.

A mirror translation of a text to English is impossible due to the non-existence of

vocabulary which carries the same meaning as the words in the original language. This can be seen

"even within the context of different European languages" where one "could notice the lack of a

variety of nuanced words" (Innes, 98). Without the availability of such words, a translator will

struggle to create meaning with the available words in English. Innes claims that "Things Fall

Apart4 (1958) calls to the reader's attention the existence of the Igbo language and its inclusion of

non-European concepts, such as agbala, chi, and nidichie, which English can never quite

encompass" (100). Although it is a work of fiction written in English by a non-native, the text

struggles with the inability to identify and use the appropriate words, which are the counterparts

of Igbo words.

4
Things Fall Apart is Chinua Achebe's first book, published in 1958. It portrays pre-colonial life in southern Nigeria
and the late nineteenth-century advent of Europeans. It is widely regarded as the first contemporary African book
written in English, and was one of the first to garner widespread critical praise.
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Although "translation is a twofold operation involving two unlikely languages and their

respective cultures" (Nagodawithana, 117), one can adopt the translating language, which in this

paper is English, to fit into the norms of the original language at times, so as to allow the narrative

to continue without any disturbance. This method of translation blurs the lines between the original

language and English, as English is not used in the text in the conventional way in which the

language should be used. This is because L. Venuti5 (2017) states that "translation is not just a

literal recasting of a work from one language to another, but is also an adaptation of one culture’s

values and biases into another" (Braçaj, 334). There will be certain changes which will be adopted,

thus creating a variety of English which belongs to the text and to the English varieties within a

country.

Non-native Sri Lankan English writers at times merge the English language with

characteristics of Sinhala usage to create more impact within texts. In fact, "Sri Lankan fiction in

English has been moving slowly towards the creation of a nativised medium capable of expressing

Sri Lankan experience and meaning" (Fernando, 120) and, similarly, translations from Sinhala into

English also thrive. In the short story Action and Reaction6 (1984), Chitra Fernando7 deviates from

the conventional method of writing in English8 and uses the English language in the context of

Sinhalese interactions where the words in English sound rather odd in the utterances.

5
See Venuti, L. (1995). The translator's invisibility. A history of translation. London and New York: Routledge.
6

7
Chitra Fernando (1935–1998) was a Sri Lankan author of children's literature and short tales. She was born in the
southern Sri Lankan city of Kalutara.
8
See Mendis, D., “Chitra Fernando: The Writer, Her Craft and Her Audience”. Navasilu 17, Journal of the English
Association of Sri Lanka. Edited by Nihal Fernando. 2000. p.108-113.
“Http://archive.cmb.ac.lk:8080/research/bitstream/70130/3938/1/dm1%20%281%29.pdf.”.

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During the scene where Loku Nenda9 verbally abuses Kusuma, a child-maid known for

eating oil cakes known as ‘kavum', Loku Nenda refers to Kusmua as "this creature" (Fernando,

1984), a derogatory term in Sinhala which feels quite out of context in Standard English. Therefore,

it does not have the same impact on a reader who is oblivious to the term in Sinhala, but the use of

the English language in such a manner still creates a sense of localization of English, establishing

SLE to create a variety which has its own identity.

Material and Methodology

‘Madol Doova’ (1947), written by Martin Wickramasinghe10, is a Sinhala fictional novel

dedicated to teenage readers. It is a Sri Lankan version of Mark Twain's10 ‘The Adventures of Tom

Sawyer’ (1876) or J. D. Salinger’s11 ‘Catcher in the Rye’ (1951). This novel "is rich in blithe

escapades of rural boyhood. The spirit of youthful mischief comes vividly to life in such episodes

as the cadju raid, the veddah12 game or the dish of live five frogs" (Halpe, 01).

The story is about a young man named Upali Giniwella who lives in Koggala, a rural area

in southern Sri Lanka. After he lost his mother when he was around seven years old, he was sent

to be in the care of his stepmother. Jinna is their house's servant boy and is a close and loyal buddy

9
The term used to refer to the eldest aunt in the context of Mahinda, the narrator in ‘Action and Reaction’ (1984).
10
Martin Wickramasinghe, MBE (Sinhala: ) (29 May 1890 – 23 July 1976) was a Sri Lankan writer who wrote under
the pen name Lama Hewage Don Martin Wickramasinghe. His work has been translated into a number of other lan
guages. The quest for roots is a recurring subject in Wickramasinghe's works about Sri Lankan culture and society.
His work included the scientific and social sciences, literature, linguistics, the arts, philosophy, education, Buddhism
, and comparative religion.
Wickramasinghe is often credited as being the "founder of contemporary Sinhala literature."
10
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), professionally known as Mark Twain, was an
American author, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and speaker. He was hailed as America's "greatest humorist,"
and William Faulkner dubbed him "the founder of American writing."
11
Salinger, Jerome David (January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American bestselling author for his 1951
book The Catcher in the Rye.
12
The Vedda, or Wanniyalaeto, are an indigenous minority community in Sri Lanka, along with various
subcommunities such as the Coast Veddas, Anuradhapura Veddas, and Bintenne Veddas.

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of Upali. The two lads cause havoc in the hamlet with their boy gang and are brutally punished by

Upali's father. As a result, Upali and Jinna flee their house, fearful of being put to work or turned

over to the authorities, and end up working for a farmer called ‘Podigamarala’ on a small island

named Madol Doova.

The novel was translated into English under the same name in 1976 by Ashley Halpe13.

The translator does not translate the text with a desire to eradicate all of the Sinhalese nuances

found in the text. This is because such elements are the life blood of Wickramasinghe’s work14.

What makes Wickramasinghe’s texts interesting is the manner in which he portrays simple village

life and the scenarios which take place within that simple context. Therefore, if the translator

decides to use Standard English to translate the novel, it will be a barren depiction of

Wickramasinghe’s creativity. To enable the reader in English to experience what the author

desired, Halpe takes a pragmatic turn and adapts his own variety of SLE to translate the novel.

A qualitative approach is used to conduct the study through a textual analysis of the

translation of ‘Madol Doova’ by Ashley Halpe. The focus will be on Halpe’s use of his own variety

of SLE in the translation and how it preserved the cultural context of Wickramasinghe’s work. The

primary source for the study is the translated text ‘Madol Doova’, yet other secondary sources such

as journal articles, reviews, and internet findings have been used to support the thesis statement

and provide the needed information to explore the topic. A close reading of the text provided the

13
Ashley Halpe is a distinguished poet, translator, dramatist, and scholar; he was an Emeritus Professor of English
at the University of Peredeniya. He translated Martin Wickramasinghe's novels and famous Sinhala poetry. He has
been bestowed various titles such as Kalakeerthi.
14
See ‘Gamperaliya’ (The Uprooted/Changing Village) (1944), Yuganthaya (End of the Era) (1949), Viragaya
(Devoid of Passions) (1956), Kaliyugaya (Age of Destruction) (1957), and other work by the author.
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categorizing of the findings into three tables15 under: 1.Loan words, 2. Code-mixing translations

and 3. Word to word translations which will be used to conduct a thorough the textual analysis.

Findings and Discussion

Most Sinhalese words do not have mirror words in English which denote the same meaning.

Claiming a variety or varieties of English allows a nation to adopt the English language to fit their

context and to share their culture and languages with the world through such translations. Although

it is impossible to find two languages which have the same meanings in all of their vocabulary, an

attempt to bridge the gap between two languages with skilful translation enables foreign readers to

a greater extent to enjoy the text in the same manner as a local reading the original.

The use of SLE for the translation of such a popular Sri Lankan novel enables Halpe to summon

the attention of English readers to the completely alien narrative which hoards a vivacious amount

of SLE vocabulary, at times directly translating some phrases and words from Sinhala to English.

The translation therefore aids in further establishing SLE as a variety of English among other such

varieties. As a joke translated from its original language is rarely funny, Halpe, from the beginning

of the novel, attempts to bridge the vast gap between Sinhala and English so as not to fail in

translation by "mold[ing] and manipulat[ing] the target language" (Nagodawithana, 119) using his

own variety of SLE.

There are many varieties of SLE in Sri Lanka. "In many speech communities, two or more

varieties of the same language are used by some speakers under different conditions" (Ferguson,

15
The tables have been presented after the careful reading of the translated work. The tables provide the words and
phrases the meanings or suitable English terms as well as the page numbers to locate them. Read Wickramasinghe,
M. (32nd ed.). Rajagiriya: Sarasa (pvt) Ltd, 2001.
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1). To preserve the experience of the adventurous novel, Halpe, in his variety of SLE, uses three

different methods to preserve the text’s originality:

1. Loan words- direct Sinhala words in English.

2. Code mixing- combinations of Sinhala words and words translated into Standard English.

3. Direct word to word translation from Sinhala to English written using the Latin alphabet.

These translations do not carry meaning in any Standard English variety, "there are some

instances where these translations are sometimes confusing to a monolingual English reader….,

Halpe was addressing a strong Sinhala- English bilingual readership where code mixing practices

are quite common" (Medawaththa et al., 1). However, in SLE usage, these direct and indirect

translations add colour and, at times, clarity to what is being said, as the reader, even if not familiar

with SLE, can to a great extent understand most of the direct translations by reading the context or

by researching the original language, Sinhala. This is because the translator has to a greater extent

succeeded in preserving the culture associated with the work in Sinhala by retaining its core

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values as "the writer of the selected creative fiction ‘Madol Doova’; Martin Wickramasinghe is a

native of the island as of the translator. Hence both parties were well versed in the aspects of source

culture" (Nagodawithana, 119).

Loan words, borrowings, or direct Sinhala words written in English are used by Halpe to

retain the culture as well as the colour of the novel. It would have been quite easy for the translator

to rewrite the words or phrases to suit Standard English. However, such fixed translations of the

text would have disrupted the text's originality and Wickramasinghe’s desire for readers’ to

experience village life from his perspective. As Wickramasinghe’s fundamental reason for

producing most of his work was to celebrate simple village life 16 , the introduction of

‘alienoriginated’17 English words would completely uproot the Sinhalese village narrative.

The use of loan words in the translation enables the translator to directly associate the Siri

Lankan context with the translated work. Although these words are not used in Standard English

and "may express a concept which is totally unknown in the target language. The concept in

question may be abstract or concrete; it may relate to a religious belief, a social custom or even a

type of food. Such concepts are often referred to as culture-specific" (Baker, 32). These words are

at times used in SLE, such as ‘putha’(127), ‘ayya’ (96), ‘malli’ (130), and 'aney'(7) being some of

the most widely used loan words in SLE. Halpe’s ability to scatter such loan words throughout the

text enables the reader to an extent to experience the original text through the translation.

Table 1. Loan Words- Direct Sinhala Words in English.

16
Read autobiography ‘Ape Gama’ (Our Village) (1940)
17
Standard British or American words which do not possess any terms that can be used in translation to retain the
text’s originality in translation.

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Table 1: continued …

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In the text, proper nouns are mostly written as in the original text. “A proper noun is the

name of some particular person or a place” (Wren & Martin, 4). Therefore, there are many proper

nouns, such as ‘Opisera-Hamine’ (20), ‘Subeyhamy Mudalali’ (20) and Hinnimahattaya’ (23).

‘hamine’ is similar to ‘madam’ and ‘mahattaya’ to ‘sir’ in English, which are common nouns; “a

name given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind” (Wren & Martin, 4)

used to preserve the social respect present within the culture of Sri Lanka. These words are used

in the same manner as in the original, where the translator has loaned the words from Sinhala to

English.

Another method in which the translator preserves some of the work’s originality in the

translation is through code mixing of Sinhala and English words. Code mixing occurs frequently

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in SLE where certain words are used in Sinhala or Tamil if they do not have a suitable counterpart

in English. In the translation, this not only allows the narrator to divert back towards the original

work in Sinhala, but also allows the reader to experience the frequent occurrence of such code

mixing in SLE.

These words and phrases used in the translation allow the reader to experience the quality of the

text in connection with the context in which it was written. “There are some instances where these

translations are sometimes confusing to a monolingual English reader. We believe that this could

be because, Halpe was addressing a strong Sinhala- English bilingual readership where code

mixing practices are quite common” (Medawaththa, Ranaweera and De. Silva, 1). If a reader is

unfamiliar with Sinhala or SLE, they should dedicate time to understanding the meanings of code

switching, as they are vital for the complete experience of the novel. Halpe continues to localize

the translation through the mixing of the two languages. This gives character to the novel and it

further aids in the claim of the existence and recognition of SLE.

Table 2. Code Mixing- Combinations of Sinhala Words and Words Translated into Standard

English.

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The best method in which the translator has merged the two languages while retaining the

quality of the original text is through the direct translation of many words and phrases. This allows

the translation to emerge as the work of a talented translator who is able to manipulate and control

the target language in accordance with the desired outcome. Halpe wisely and tactfully chooses

numerous words and phrases from the original text to be directly translated to gain the attention of

the reader. If a reader is oblivious to Sri Lankan idioms and sayings, the reader will be intrigued to

research these topics as a result of the suspense created by the direct translations.

These direct translations, which are common Sinhala utterances, add colour and character

to the text. “Every language has its peculiar turns of expression. The peculiar uses of particular

words and phrases which have become stereotyped by usage are known as the idioms of a language.

It is generally agreed that idiomatic phrases cannot be translated literally from one language to

another without altering the meaning, if not making the expression completely meaningless.

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Hence, many of the translators tend to omit idiomatic expressions while translating” (Nanayakkara,

Nagodawithana & Madhusanka, 45).

Table 3. Direct word to word translation from Sinhala to English written using the Latin

Alphabet.

Halpe utilizes directly translated idioms, idiomatic expressions, sayings, and curse words

to his own advantage for the purpose of preserving some originality. “Curse words are words we

are not supposed to say; hence, curse words themselves are powerful. The words contain and are

produced by social practices. The articulation of a curse word thus as incorporated into its social

rules about gender identity, race, power, formality, prohibition, etc.” (Jay, 18). “They must have

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eaten the holy offerings!” (16) is equivalent to saying ‘they have gone completely mad! Such

word to word translations allow the idioms to exist within the text and encourage the reader to

hunt for the meanings, which in this translation is a joyous event.

The translator further uses specific idioms, idiomatic expressions and phrases found in the

target language at times to complement the foreign reader. Instead of translating “අංඩර දෙමළ

වදේ” /andǝrǝ demǝlǝ vagȇ/ (Wickramasinghe, 30) by using SLE, Halpe introduces the common

English idiom “It was Greek to me” (31) to denote perplexity. The translator further tilizes the

misheard English phrase used in the original text, “commit pieces” (55) which should be ‘comic

pieces’ or ‘comic acts’ to create humour in the translated work.

Limitations

There are other areas which can also be explored with regard to the cultural significance of

the translated work and the style of the translation. However, the limited word count only allows

certain aspects to be discussed in the selected work.

Conclusion

Spoken and written Sinhala differ from each other to a significant extent. A Sinhalese

speaker will not speak in the same manner. “The Sinhala language, which is spoken in Sri Lanka,

is in a diglossic situation where the written variety differs from the spoken variety phonologically,

morphologically, syntactically and lexically” (Rajapakshe, 112). Therefore, the translator must be

skilful to protect such diversity as much as possible in the translation. For such translation of texts,

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the translator can use a variety, varieties of SLE or create his own variety so as to preserve the

originality of the original text to the greatest extent possible.

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 Chandrasiri 18

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Retrieved 12th August, 2021, http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/1234 56789/18520 Venuti,
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Wickramasinghe, Martin. Madol Doova. Translated by Ashley Halpe, 22nd ed., Sarasa (Pvt.)
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