The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/1172840
10 The Linguist Vol/58 No/5 2019 ciol.org.uk/tl FEATURES experts such as Edwige Dro from Côte d'Ivoire and translation specialists including Ros Schwartz will mentor participants as they translate short stories, which will be published in a bilingual (French and English) anthology next year. The will to build capacity locally is there and although network building and training are in the initial stages, we are starting to see concrete outcomes. SUPPORTING LOCAL LANGUAGES Of course, none of this tackles the subject of local language literary translation, which has frequently arisen in meetings and will be a topic for discussion at the public event. Around 250 local languages are spoken across Cameroon, and an ongoing literary translation project would ideally embrace translation from and into some of these languages. To date, much of the work in this area has been carried out by SIL Cameroon and the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL). Aside from working on religious texts, these Christian organisations have done useful work in helping the languages to thrive beyond the spoken word, developing local language materials such as dictionaries, grammars, manuals and healthcare documents, both in print and electronically (even in rural areas many people have access to a mobile phone). The sheer number of local languages makes it difficult to have a group discussion about rewriting in one specific Cameroonian language. Literary translations into local languages would also have relatively small audiences, especially as many are primarily spoken and not written or read. Such translations would, therefore, be largely symbolic and political at this point in time. Creating translated texts in an oral form – to be accessed through podcasts, for example – would be one potential solution. There could also be a focus on languages with a higher number of speakers, such as Bamum, Kom, Ewondo and even Camfranglais and Pidgin English (although the latter two are sociolects that vary from one region to another). 4 This contrasts significantly with the situation in countries such as Senegal, where the prominence of Wolof (the lingua franca of around 80% of the population) makes it much easier to run literary translation workshops using an African language shared by all. BRIDGING THE LINGUISTIC DIVIDE Whichever pathway this project takes, there is no doubting that language in Cameroon is currently one of the most politically charged debates in West Africa. Literature in the country continues to be a platform for expressing personal and societal mood, opinion and analysis. Intrinsically therefore, literary translation can be used as a conduit for the communication of those sentiments across the Francophone-Anglophone divide, and potentially beyond urban centres to more rural locations through the oral expression of literature in local languages. There is plenty more to debate, and colleagues in Cameroon and at the University of Bristol are keen for meetings, public events and workshops to continue with the aim of further promoting literary creativity, translation and collaborations between African nations, as well as building capacity and ensuring the sustainability of the emerging literary translation network. This, along with tangible results such as the workshop, public event and launch of next year's bilingual anthology, are intended to contribute to peaceful communication across linguistic divides. Notes 1 Konings, P and Nyamnjoh, FB (1997) 'The Anglophone Problem in Cameroon.' In The Journal of Modern African Studies, 35:2, 207-229 2 O'Grady, S (2019) 'War of Words: Cameroon being torn apart by deadly language division'. In The Independent, 27/2/19 3 To download the feasibility study, visit georginacollins.com/blog 4 Biloa, E and Echu, G (2008) 'Cameroon: Official bilingualism in a multilingual state'. In Simpson, A, Language and National Identity in Africa, OUP, 199-213 RICH LITERATURE Books by Cameroonian publisher Éditions Clé