New Telegraph

Don counsels govt to translate policies, activities in indigenous languages

A call has gone to the federal and state governments to always embrace translation or of their activities through the people’s indigenous languages in order to give positive effects to information being disseminated to the citizenry, who are not proficient in English.

 

The call was made by Dr. Abraham Ayodele Adeoye, a lecturer at the Department of Yoruba, School of Secondary Education (Language Programmes), Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo in his lecture at the maiden Distinguished Faculty Lecture of the institution.

 

The theme of the lecture, which was held at the Main Lecture Theatre of the school, was: “English-Yoruba Translation in the Service of Mankind.”

 

The lecturer, a holder of doctoral degree in Language Education from the University of Ibadan, said that the majority of the crises currently confronting the nation could have been avoided or abated if information about government’s activities, programmes and policies were adequately disseminated in the official language and translated to indigenous languages of those at the grassroots that are not proficient in English language.

 

“Through this, English to Yoruba translation has made governance more participatory as the masses that are not proficient in English, the official language of the country, could understand the activities and programmes of the government so as to contribute meaningfully to national development,” he said. Adeoye, however, stressed: “The field of English-to-Yoruba translation is an art and science that requires training.

 

There is a general assumption that anyone who understands English and speaks Yoruba should be able to translate government policies and programmes, but that is not always the case. There are some technicalities that one must understand so that the actual content and meaning that are being translated from the Source Text (English) to Target Text (TT) is not lost.”

 

The lecturer, whose area of specialisation is Applied Translation, which deals with training of translators with special preference for English-Yoruba translation, therefore recommended that the government should embrace more translation of their activities in indigenous language of the people, while broadcasting stations and other stakeholders whose profession has to do with translation in one way or the other, should subject their workers to appropriate training to ensure professionalism while translating.

 

He further noted: “English- Yoruba translation has benefited mankind extensively, especially in the areas of mass communication, information dissemination, public enlightenment and awareness programmes, as well as education and culture transfer or preservation.

 

“Translation has strengthened the cord of bilingualism, engendered national and regional peace in Nigeria.”

 

Dignitaries at the lecture include the Provost Dr. R.A. Adefabi; the Deputy Provost, Dr. N.A. Oyewo; the Dean of Language Programmes, Mr. S.A. Salman; Revd. Olayiwola Adetunji, who represented the father of the lecturer, Chief Olaniyi Adeoye; Revd. G.O. Kehinde of the First Baptist Church, Isokun in Oyo, and the wife of the lecturer, Mrs. Mojisola Adeoye, among others.

 

In his remarks, the Provost, Dr. Adefabi, described the distinguished lecture as unprecedented in the college, even as he described the lecturer as “a man of great impact.

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