Lost in translation

A multicultural society, be it one made up of hundreds of ethnic groups like Australia, or a relatively new collection of nations like the EU, depends for its very existence on an efficient service of translators and interpreters. Without these services, the whole bureaucratic machinery will grind to a halt.

In a recent talk to the Maltese Literature Group in Melbourne by ex-Melbournian and now EU foctionnaire Albert Marshall, who is responsible for translating a mountain of documents into Maltese, the difficulties of translators were highlighted.

One of the biggest problems has obviously been the unpreparedness of Malta for these demands, with a dearth of translators and interpreters that is still much in evidence nearly three years after Malta joined the EU.

In spite of strenuous efforts, including the introduction of an MA degree in Translation Studies at the University of Malta, and millions of euros later, we are still struggling with the issue of bringing European documents to the attention of the Maltese public, in their own language, one which they presumably will be able to understand.

But will they? Are we facing insurmountable difficulties in passing the message to the average man/woman in the street?

Even before the issue of translating EU documents raised its ugly head, we were complaining about the almost incomprehensible fare dished out over radio and television when it came to newscasting, with literal translations making sense only if one understood the original language from which they were translated.

In marked contrast to daily speech, "educated" Maltese language has had a relatively recent history, which is a generation away from celebrating its first centenary. While the language is rich in expression of everyday life, as well as various practical professions, including agriculture, fishing etc, it is poor in expression of abstract concepts and has to rely on borrowed words.

This has necessitated the incorporation of a flood of Italian and/or English terms to fill the vacuum. In addition, of course, and in common with other nations, we have felt the need to introduce modern terminology associated with the bounding advances of technology, and "computerese" in particular.

There are two sides of the equation associated with translation. There is the supply side as well as the demand aspect.

While strenuous efforts are being made to meet the former, there is a great deal of doubt as to whether the public will ever be in a position to appreciate and understand the material that is being translated.

One reason for this may be related to the education system. Malta is unique among all EU nations in that its education system is based in a language other than Maltese.

Whether it be the sciences, business, law, etc, all secondary and tertiary studies are carried out entirely in a foreign language.

In a small country like ours, this is necessarily so, and it would be impossible to reproduce the textbooks and do the teaching in the vernacular.

The result is, however, disastrous not so much to the learning of the particular topic itself, as to the national language which hasn't got the terminology, and, hence, the concepts, associated with it.

This leads to an impoverishment of the language, producing a basic infrastructural weakness that no amount of translated material is likely to overcome.

It is a fact that no educated person in Malta can converse in any current topic without introducing a plethora of foreign words.

One might say there is nothing wrong in that. But the fact remains that until such time as the Maltese education system supplies such a conceptual framework, the ability of the average Maltese to understand a translated document will be dependent on his/her grasp of a foreign language.

While learning foreign languages is obviously desirable, it should not be the case that in order to understand one's own language one must rely on a foreign one.

Prof. Cauchi is past president of the Maltese Community Council of Victoria.

mnc25@optusnet.com.au