By Hb Singh | Opinion |
Writers usually provide translations when quoting Gurbani. This is to aid readers not well versed in Gurmukhi or Gurmat. I would be lost without the English translation!
But are we told whence they come from?
If the translation is not our own, but taken from elsewhere, we should attribute the source. But this is not widely practiced at this point of time, except when writing papers for research journals.
Why does this matter?
Well, translation plays a critical role for many of us to understand Gurmat. Many are unable to decipher Gurbani independent of translations. We rely heavily on them to help us make sense of Gurbani. Majority of the present day translations are in Panjabi, Hindi or English.
When we inject translations into our writing; we should credit the translator. This serves at least two purposes. One, attribution. In research and writing, attribution is an essential rule. You inform your readers as to the source of the information or statement. Second, honesty. We should declare the source of the translation. If it is not our own, we state the source.
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If the Gurbani translation shapes heavily the way a writer understands Gurbani, then attribution matters all the more. Translations are not value-free. They are influenced by the worldview of the translator or translators. This worldview, in turn, impacts directly how a verse from the Guru Granth is presented. Things can get lost in translation. A comparison of available translations will attest to this. They do differ, especially when you compare the earlier work with the more recent ones. Here is one example of a new kid on the block when it comes to Gurbani translation.
If you’re attempting to discuss a topic anchoring on Gurbani, translation then plays a critical role. I’ve seen lengthy articles, purportedly discussing some issue at hand, peppered with Gurbani and its English translation plucked without attributing its original source. If you take away the English translations, some of the articles end up hollow. It’s well and fine if the writer had studied the Guru Granth, and subsequently placed before us verses which he or she had deliberated (vichaar). But what if the writer merely did a word search and pulled out verses based on the English translation matches? Say, I want to write on death. I punch ‘death’ into one of the many available online Gurbani search engines. Walla! In an instant, I got more 1,200 results for my search. I cherry pick a dozen or so verses and weave them into an article. In today’s copy and paste culture, that is very much a possible scenario.
But if the writer provides his own translation, then he is adding value to the article. An article with a single Gurbani verse accurately translated and well explained is worth its weight in gold.
So, the next time we quote Gurbani, let us attribute the source for the translation. This may just prod us to better understand the Guru Granth.
Hb Singh is a Kuala Lumpur-based journalist with some experience in dealing with Sikh organisations, both from within and outside.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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