From: "Eddie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 2:37 PM
> Now the concluding part is bit difficult.. that is compiling, correcting > and translating them into English with the right meaning. Eddie, Don't even try loosely translating Konkani proverbs, those pearls of wisdom accumulated down generations. You'd lose the soul of those wisecracks. For one, the English language vocabulary is severely limited (that's why English lexicographers have to assimilate hundreds of *phoren* words into their dictionary with every revision.) My knowledge of the Konkani language is superficial, but while reading your post, I remembered how Prof. Olivinho Gomes (then an Asst. Collector with the Central Customs & Excise) used to impress my young mind in the early-1970s: take the word *Sunset* (or sunrise, for that matter), he'd say (amid a myriad of instances.) The English language has just one word to describe that position of the sun. The rich Konkani language, on the other hand, has five (or seven?) - to describe every nuance of the term! Translation, though helpful for the uninitiated in the language, will certainly steal the soul of age-old Konkani proverbs. That's one reason I had referred to the Sirlim-Salcete Padre's book : the painfully-compiled originals in Konkani were gems, their translated counterparts lacked lustre - and soul, if I may say. Regards/Valmiki ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
