RANK-SHIFTING OF CLAUSES IN THE TRANSLATION OF THE ENGLISH HOLY BIBLE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION INTO DHOLUO BIBLE; MUMA MALER MAR NYASAYE (1976)

Abstract

This study analyzes rank-shifting of clauses in the translation of the English Holy Bible New International Version (NIV), into Dholuo Bible “Muma Maler Mar Nyasaye (1976). The study investigates whether the translation process brings about a difference in meaning of the source language message into the target language message. The focus is on the terminologies in these rank-shifted words that influence their meaning. Thus, the objectives of this study were to: describe the categories of shifts in the translation of the English Holy Bible into Dholuo; analyze meaning loss or gain in the rank-shifted clauses translated from the English Bible into Dholuo; and finally, describe how the Relevance Theory accounted for the translation of these rank-shifted clauses. The analysis was limited to rank-shifting in the level of clauses utilized in the source language text which was translated into the target language. Data was collected from the source text, “The Holy Bible; (NIV)”, and its translated version “Muma Maler Mar Nyasaye (1976) by The Bible Society of Kenya. The data was analyzed using a descriptive method. The study population consisted of the sixty-six books in the Bible. A sample size of six books from the Holy Bible; New International Version was obtained from the study population using purposive sampling. The researcher analyzed 44 rank-shifted clauses. The results showed that four categories of rank-shifting emerged during the translation; unit shifts, structure shifts, intra-system shifts and class shifts. It was also established that both meaning loss and meaning gain occurred in the translation process. However, more loss than gain was experienced in the translation of these rank shifted clauses. The Relevance Theory informed the translator’s manner of translation to make the translation works much clearer and easy to understand. The results of this study have implications on, translators and interpreters, researchers, and biblical scholars since it would enable them to understand the cultural and structural differences between English and Dholuo and appreciate the role of the Relevance Theory in ensuring that translation work is done in such a way that it would be understood more clearly and easily.