The Training for Translators from Tibetan
Aim
With this long-lasting project it should be guaranteed that there will be precise translations of the sacred texts available in western languages in the future. In order to be able to translate in a qualified way one must have an adequate understanding of the Tibetan language, of Tibetan grammar and one also must comprehend the meaning of the text.
Short history
The Training for Translators from Tibetan started in 2003 at the request and wish of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Elio Guarisco was entrusted to be the instructor of the Training and the Shang Shung Institute Austria has been the organizer and sponsor of this initiative. The first Training took place in Merigar, the main seat of the International Dzogchen Community in Italy. They worked on the latest book by Ch?gyal Namkhai "On Birth, Life and Death" which was published in English in autumn 2006.
In 2004 the second Training was held in Margarita Island. A Dzogchen Tantra of the Mind Series was indicated by Ch?gyal Namkhai Norbu as the text-book to be studied and translated. This provided a wonderful opportunity for participants to come in contact with one of the most ancient Dzogchen Tantra, the Mejung, whose title can be translated as "Wonderful Primordial State".
The third and also the fourth Trainings were held again in Merigar in summer 2005 and 2006. The translators worked on another Dzogchen Tantra, the Khanyam, "The Primordial State Equal to Sky".
In the last years sixteen translators from all over the world have dedicated their time, money and effort to work on translations from Tibetan and have taken part in the Training for Translators from Tibetan,. They really have increased their ability to translate, have gain a good understanding and according to Elio Guarisco their efforts in this training has been very fruitful.
Words of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu on the importance of the Training for Translators from Tibetan
On August 26th 2006, during the SMS Level 2 training at Merigar, Ch?gyal Namkhai Norbu talked at length about the importance of translations and the training for translators. Here below we attach an excerpt of his speech, which stresses, among other things, the relevance of this project, as well as the right attitude for those who want to be involved in it:
"Mejung is a Lung of the Dzogchen Mind series. Mejung means “marvelous”. Our translators have been learning how to translate this text by reading it with Elio, who is an expert translator from Tibetan. Also, he, Adriano and Jim are collaborating on the translation of the Mejung. At this stage the three of them have reviewed the translation, have inserted all the corrections, and so on. Later their work will be published as a book and so it will become available to readers.There are many other people who are translating texts such as the Kunjed Gyalpo or other Tantras. They too publish their work, and then people say: "How nice is this book!" But these readers do not know Tibetan at all. Really, even those translators themselves do not know very well Tibetan language. They understand only half of what they read and translate, and they just make up the other half. But at the end they produce a very nice looking text, and when this gets published everyone says: "Oh, what a nice book!"This is very negative for the serious continuation of the Teachings. For this reason I very much approve and appreciate the way in which translator’s training has been conducted, principally through Elio’s work. In this way people can learn a little. But some come to learn with a very strong ego. They do not know that they are coming to learn, and they think: "I am going to work and translate the Dzogchen Tantras." But this is not an easy task. You see for example, Adriano, Elio and Jim Valby have to check, review, and clarify all the difficult points. This is important, otherwise it is difficult for anyone to execute and publish a perfect translation. It is very important that the people who are here to learn realize that they are learning, and not working. If they are really learning in this way, maybe later there will be some benefit."
The first four years of Trainings and plans for the future.
A report by Elio Guarisco
In summer 2006 we concluded the fourth year of the Training for Translators at Merigar. Throughout these four years a considerable number of people (some more consistently than others) have participated with enthusiasm to the training. The texts used as the basis of familiarization with the understanding of the language ranged from modern writings such as Birth, Living and Death (written by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu); the ancient Dzogchen Tantras (Mejung and Kamyam), to Tantric literary works such as Gyalwa Yangonpa’s Hidden Explanation of the Adamantine Body.
These four years of training have provided some basis for the comprehension of the language and the principles of translation from Tibetan. Whether this basis will fully blossom into real knowledge and ability to translate depends exclusively on the individual efforts in reading, studying, and expanding one’s knowledge of the words and the meanings conveyed in Tibetan texts.
I hope that the more experienced participants in the Translator’s Training will put into practice the knowledge they have acquired from the training for their own and others’ benefit. To fulfill the aspirations of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, expressed in the passage quoted above, in the future I would like to continue to be of some help to those who wish to study Tibetan language in order to become proficient translators or in order to have direct first-hand access to the Tibetan literature.
We now need to shift the focus of the Translator’s Training to new comers and beginners, in order to develop a new generation of translators. We hope therefore to hold a Translator’s Training in 2007 for these beginners (including those who have participated in the last two sessions of the Training held in 2005–2006). The focus will be to study shorter and more accessible texts that allow an easy grasp of Tibetan linguistic structure and meanings, as well as to read sources using the terminology that is widely used in teachings in our Dzogchen Community.
The basic requirements, as in the past, are: to know the Tibetan alphabet, to know how to read properly, and to have a general knowledge of written Tibetan language.
As for the students who have already participated in the four years of Translator’s Training, we would like to now direct them toward the concrete application of the knowledge they have acquired. To do this we ask those among them who wish to continue on this path, to chose—individually, and not as a group,—a text of their liking to translate. The choice will have then to be approved by the coordinator of the training. The coordinator will follow and help the each translator, once he or she has prepared a rough draft of the translation. This activity could be carried out at the same time of the 2007 training for beginners, or possibly at a later time. Details will be provided to the interested parties.
Since this new project will be entirely experimental, the Shang Shung Institute will not grant any financial support. In the event that a given translation proves to be of publishable quality, the publication will be done within the frame of the Shang Shung Institute itself, or as otherwise directed by the Institute. Those who wish to participate in this last project should contact me, Elio Guarisco, the coordinator, as well as the project manager Oliver Leick.
