Cultural problems in translating L'amant into Sinhalese

Abstract

Translation is a method of communication which creates a bridge between multiple communities in different countries where various languages are spoken. Literary translation can be defined as an artistic method of translating literary texts such as poems, novels, dramatic texts and short stories into a target language while being faithful to the content of the source text. In the process of translating above mentioned literary texts into a target language, translators mainly encounter problematic situations which arise because of cultural, linguistic differences which collide with the freedom given to the translators. Hence our objective is to analyze those problems and find solutions to face the challenges in literary translation. This research focuses on the cultural problems faced in translating L'Amant into Sinhalese. This discussion includes the practical problems faced by undergraduates during the two years of learning translation methods. The cultural boundaries are the basic issues faced by translators in translating literary texts from source language to target language. This challenge cannot be avoided or neglected in the process of literary translation.