A Critical analysis of the isiXhosa translation of Chinua Achebe's things fall apart with specific reference to the translation of cultural phenomena

Abstract

The African continent is well-known for the multiplicity of languages which are spoken on it. Language experts estimate that none less than two thousand languages are currently spoken in Africa. Within this multilingual context, it is obvious that the art of translation fulfills the most important function. Through translation and interpreting, people from diverse linguistic backgrounds are able to communicate with one another.This phenomenon is clearly reflected in the Eastern Cape, where isiXhosa is a dominant language. A number of literary texts have already been translated between isiXhosa and English. This includes ‘Ingqumbo Yeminyanya’ (A C Jordan) which was translated into English as ‘The wrath of the ancestors’ whilst ‘Hill of Fools’ (Peteni) was translated into isiXhosa as ‘KwaZidenge’. It is therefore against this background that the researcher seeks to analyze the translation the seminal African novel in English, Things Fall Apart into isiXhosa. It is of great importance to reflect on the biography of the source text author, Chinua Achebe, as this may shed more light on the subject of the study.