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@Linguist_CIOL DECEMBER/JANUARY The Linguist 17 (sacred symbols) than those who are chaste. Translating this as 'don't judge a book by its cover' doesn't quite capture the meaning. A cow is holy in Indian culture. Rural houses are built in mud and the floors are plastered with cow dung. The cow is considered to be the abode of all gods. The time the cows return home after grazing (6pm), known as Ghodhuli, is thought to be auspicious. The belief that the goddess of prosperity visits the house at this time leads people to keep their doors open. This gives rise to the saying, 'One who sleeps in the evening becomes a football for Lord Saturn' (Godhulili malagdonu mahatmana kalchendu), meaning 'disrespecting prosperity leads to one's downfall'. It is a belief that the most feared Hindu god, Lord Saturn, likes Ghodhuli and punishes those who disrespect it because they are, in effect, disrespecting him. Parallel sayings Behavioural patterns, gestures, ways of talking, dress codes, gravity of human relationships, constraints on relations, dwellings, home environments, habits, work, beliefs and rituals that may seem commonplace to one society may confuse readers of another culture. The translator must get into the cultural roots of both source- and target-language cultures. As Theodore Savory pointed out, "a deep and accurate knowledge of a foreign tongue, such as follows years of study and wide reading, may produce a very appreciable effect on the translator's use of his own language. This is near disaster… To the reader such a translation is unattractive." In terms of translation strategies, proverbs often have similar or parallel sayings in different cultures, which can be utilised in the translation. 'One who doesn't know to dance complains about the uneven floor' (kunilaradavalige neladonku), for example, can be rendered as 'a bad workman always blames his tools'. If not dealt with properly, this equivalent re-contextualisation becomes a problem, however, and the essence is lost. For example, 'Rob Peter to pay Paul' is usually translated by the Kannada proverb Haavu badidu haddige hakdange ('kill a serpent to feed an eagle'), but, unlike the English source, this means to do something in vain. When there is no equivalence, the context of the proverb, its essence and target meaning should be annotated. To quote Mahatma Gandhi: "I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides. I want the cultures of all lands to blow about my house as freely as possible; but I refuse to be blown off my feet by any of them." It not only needs some art in the translator to mirror the substance of an alien, culture-rich proverb, but it also demands some imagination and acceptance. on the part of the reader. expressions, linguistic differences, status, societal responsibilities and even mannerisms vary from one caste to another. Brahmin is the priest class, known for wisdom; Kshatriya is for manual work; Vysya for shrewd business; and Shudra for honest service. Proverbs that deal with this are difficult to translate: 'One business clan won't give; the other business clan won't leave' (komatiga koda, banajiga bida), e.g, means 'when equals fight, it ends in a draw'. 'One without moral ethics uses six vibhuti' (Aykattilladavanige Arkattina vibhuti) roughly means 'appearances are deceptive', but to Kannada speakers it is a funny saying. Vibhuti is ash made by burning cow dung, worn by males belonging to a certain priestly class. A man from a priestly class is expected to have high moral standards and ethics; for him to have dalliance with women is unacceptable. A person with such weakness tries to make up his lost respect by hiding behind religious symbols. So the proverb says that people who have lower morals use more vibhuti WAYS OF LIFE Indian proverbs relate to cultural traditions, including (clockwise from top left) the twilight hour Ghodhuli; the sacred cow; the concept of widowhood, illustrated by Vrindavan, the 'city of widows'; the caste system, particularly the priestly castes; and 'thavaru' – the separation of mother and daughter following marriage FEATURES IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK