Translation and language

contact situations in India

Aditi Ghosh, Department of Linguistics,
Calcutta University

Translators Orientation
Programme in Bangla,
National Translation Mission
Indian Statistical Institute,
Kolkata
3rd July 2013
How to study translation?

History of T.
Models of T.
Theories of T.
Topical issues in T.
Specialised T

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How to study language
contact?
L2 teaching/learning,
LHR,
multilingual interaction,
lingua franca
Pidigin Creole
Language shift/ death.
a Cinderella confined to domestic chores
while her elder sisters, lingua franca and
language learning, go to the ball where
they enjoy considerably higher visibility.

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MULTILINGUALISM AS
A WAY OF LIFE

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Clerk: Central Booking, may I help you?
Patient: Oui, all?
Clerk: Bureau de rendezvous, est-ce que je
peux vous aider?
Office of booking, may I help you?
Patient:[French]
Clerk:[French]
Patient:[English]
Clerk:[English]
Patient:[French]
Clerk:[French]
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Patient: tes-vous franaise ou anglaise
are you French or English?
Clerk:Nimporte, jsuis ni lune, ni lautre ...
it does not matter, I neither one nor the other ...)
Patient: Mais...
but...
Clerk: a ne fait rien
it doesnt matter
Patient:[French] conversation continues in French
(Heller :1982
Negotiation of language choice in Montreal, 112-
113)

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mere liyee me chuki iss baangaal
me hi pedaa hui auur yehi reheti
hu is liye mere liye Hindi auur
bangla me koi fark nehi hai
...bilkul ke ye antar koi jab
batataa hai to mujhe ye antar
samajh me aataa hai annothaa
mere liye in do cheejo me koi
antar nehi haihaan ... [thinks for
a while]
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meraa maannaa hai ki haam hardam apne
desh me ye bolte hai ki haame *French
sikhni hai haame *German sikhni hai lekin
haamare desh kaa ek wo bhaag *South
India eysaa hai jiski bhaasaa jiski sanskriti
haamko bilkul samajh me nehi aati hai
main maanti hoon ki humlog ko kam se
kam ek bhaasaa wahaa ke sikhni caahiye
aapne desh ko haame pehele jaannaa
caahiye to meri icchaa hai ki main ek-
aadh bhaasaa wahaa ke sikhoon unke
sanskriti jaanu.
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...haamlog ek maansik goolaami ke
*age me probesh kar chuke hai
[....]usko ek *status symbol maanke
calte hai auur ... itne saal baaish saal
tak college me paraane ke baad dheere
dheere anubhav ye hone lagaa hai ki
baacche apni bhaasaa se hairan kar
rahe [...]*English thik hai [....] lekin ab
woh ek *status symbol ke saath ek
*class symbol ke saath jur gayaa hai....
48, F, Hindi, (Punjabi?)
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 Language contact/
multilingualism

when?

Where?

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Clark. T. W. (1956).The languages of
calcutta. Bulletin of the School of
Oriental and African Studies,18:
Urban
453-474. M New
A
Evans, Nick, 2013:Multilingualism as
D condition: What
the primal human
we have to learn from small-scale
speech communities
Crystal, David (2004) The Language
Revolution, Polity Press: Cambridge
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Multilingualism is..
a dammned nuisance
Abram de Swaan (Political
Scientist)

artificial,
costly and plain too
complicated
Amitai Etizioni (Scoiologist)

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Examine the constitution of Germany, examine
the constitution of France, examine the
constitution of Italy, examine the constitution of
England, and examine the constitution of the
U.S.A. "One State, one language" is the
rule.Wherever there has been a departure
from this rule there has been a danger to the
State. The illustration of the mixed States are to
be found in the old Austrian Empire and the old
Turkish Empire. They were blown up because
they were multi-lingual States with all that a
multi-lingual State means.
Baba Saheb Ambedkar (1955)
Thoughts on Linguistic States

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a spirit that is so exclusive and narrow
as to want every form of speech to be
perpetuated and developed, is anti-
national and anti-universal. All
underdeveloped and unwritten dialects
should be sacrificed and merged in
the great Hindustani stream. It would
be a sacrifice , not a suicide
Young India on 27th August, 1925

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 because even if I speak a little
of English, I have the feeling that
I am committing a sin.
All-India Script and Common
Language Conference
Mahatma Gandhi

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There is a large host of economic
studies suggesting that too much
diversity, whether linguistic,
ethnic, religious, cultural, or
genetic, breeds institutional
wastefulness, bureaucratic
inefficiency and corruption.
The Economics of Linguistic
Diversity: How Many Languages
make Sense?
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Singapore promotion of English
( pragmatic realization as sacrifices
needed for future gain).
Kenya both English and Kiswahili enjoy a
hegemonic status
Botswana - English and Setswana enjoy a
hegemonic status over other indigenous
languages
Ethiopia Haile Sellasie-Is government
actively promoted one religion, one culture
and one language (Amharic) as part of its
policy of national unification
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What about India?
. Article 351 directs the union to
ensure promotion and
development of Hindi language
so that it may serve as a medium
of expression for all elements of
the composite culture of India

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What about India?
It has been the policy of the
Government of India that
progressive use of Hindi in the
official work may be ensured
through persuasion, incentive
and goodwill.
The official language policy

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What about India?
"We should ensure greater
emphasis on Hindi. All children
are not fluent in Hindi as they are
in their mother tongues. Hindi is
necessary for students to
integrate with the rest of the
country. The same students
integrate with the rest of world
through English,
(Kapil Sibbal, Minister,
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th
Each language has its own ecology of support
and relationships to other languages... For
example, the choice of language A as
national language in a given polity implies
that all the other languages are to some
degree subordinate to A. Resources in every
domain will then be allocated in relation to
that hierarchy. While A may be enhanced,
languages B, C. N may be
disadvantaged. Other changes in relationship
may also occur.
Kaplan, R. B., & Baldauf R. B., 1997, Language
Planning: From Practice to Theory, Clevedon:
Multilingual Matters
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Kabitastarts by stating that her
mother tongue is Hindi. But

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Language death /shift
language is a symbol system of
human species.
Joshua Fishman
In praise of beloved language
(1996)

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Last speaker of ancient language
of Bo dies in India
By Alastair Lawson
BBC News
Boa Sr remained the
last Bo speaker for at
least 30 years The
last speaker of an
ancient language in
India's Andaman
Islands has died at
the age of about 85,
a leading linguist
has told the BBC.

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So what?

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Not all language differences that exist
are noted let alone ideologised
Conscious and even ideologised
language differences need not be
divisive
Fishman, J, 1968, Nationality-Nationalism and
Nation-Nationism

imposition of monligualism of divisive

ideology.
Skutnabb-kangas, phillipson, 1994,
Linguistic Human Rights
it is not the differences that creates the problem, but
when they are not allowed to be different.
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language related issues are
potential causes of conflict only
(original emphasis) where groups
lack linguistic rights and/or
political/economic rights, and
where the equal distribution of
political and /or economic power
follows linguistic ethnic lines.
Skutnabb-Kangas, Phillipson ,
1994.
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...this may suggest that factors that
promote diversity in the number of
habitats may also promote diversity in
language-cultural groups, or that
diversity in the number of habitats
may even somehow encourage
language-cultural diversity

Mace Ruth and Pagel M (1995):

A Latitudinal Gradient in the Density of
Human Languages in North America.

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Monlingual states?
Iceland : English and Danish
USA: 176
Russia: 100
France: 37
India =??

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So
Linguistic diversity/mutlingualism
is a natural state of being for
human being.
Contrary to some established
myths multilingualism does NOT
necessarily lead to conflict and/or
divisive ideology
It is an existing condition all over
the world for centuries.
Preservation of multiligualism is
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IS TRANSLATION AN
EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR
CROSS LINGUISTIC
CONTACT?

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Translation seems to be affected
by a strange fate: in a
multilingual world, it is, arguably,
indispensable; yet in discourses
about multilingualism, its role is
frequently overlooked:
Franois GRIN

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Strategy for cross cultural
communication
Translation
Language learning
Learning a lingua franca

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Problem of lingua franca
Lingua Frankensteina? A language that
terrifies and exterminates others
-- Phillipson (2008)
A pernicious, invidious term if the language
in question is a first language for some
people but for others a foreign language.
A misleading term if the language is
supposed to be neutral and disconnected
from culture.
A false term for a language that is taught
as a subject in general education.

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 Cost does not go
Language down.
Translation
learning
Cost high in the Effective for Indian
beginning, gradually
becomes less. situation
Could be problematic in A better model for
Indian context protection of
May not be conducive to multilingualism.
promotion of A greater chance of
multilingualism.
multilingual space
A hierarchy of language
with equal status for
may be created due to
certain patterns of
languages.
language learning.

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translation as a model of
multilingualism
Interaction between linguistic cultures.
Translation exist because of linguistic
diversity; more linguistic diversity
means more need/demand for language
services.
In return translation can nurture
diversity by felicitating cross linguistic
interaction.
No need to assume a common language
Cost of production high

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Translation and linguistic
diveristy
Conditions for Linguistic diversity
to flourish

Capacity
Opportunity
Desire

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What can the translator
do?
Establish
equivalents in various
languages
Developing capacity of people to formulate
ideas in their respective languages
Normalise the use of variety of
languages in all sociolinguistic domains
Provide opportunity to use these language
Establisha social/cultural legitimacy of
these languages
Validate peoples desire to use a variety of
languages
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TRANSLATION AS A TOOL FOR
MAINTAINING
MULTILINGUALISM
May promote intercultural
communication
May promote awareness about
source culture
May reduce conflict and
complexities because of these
two
May reduce hegemonic status of
any particular language.
Therefore, may discourage shift.
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Translation
Isan activity that has political,
economic and social implication
Should be promoted as viable
option for multilingual
communication.

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