The Problems Encountered in Religious Translation and How to Overcome Them

Abstract

The present study deals with the problems encountered in religious translation, which is one of the most complex areas of translation studies. In this area the translator faces some serious difficulties such as understanding the meanings of the religion related terms, gathering sufficient information to describe them, translating them in a way that the reader could grasp what is conveyed, translating ga:tha and shlo:ka (religious stanzas), adopting the exact language writing style according to the religion and grasping the essence of the particular religion before translating the text. In finding solutions to the above problems, qualitative analysis is done using comparative methodology. Accordingly, the solutions such as consulting a reliable source/person to gather information about the terms appear in the religious text, referring books on the particular religion and getting a good understanding, studying the writing style of the other books that present the essence or preaching of the relevant religion before starting the translation. Thus the translator could use the above given solutions for an effective religious translation without causing mistranslations.