Abstract
<em>Using Bengali texts and their English translations done by a set of English speaking native Bengali translators and another set of native English translators, we analyze how two specific Bengali emotion words (obhiman and lajja) have mapped onto English. In translating lajja translators use only three English words while for obhiman they choose an array of words with no consistency. This indicates that no English word represents a concept that is close to obhiman’s meaning suggesting that the concept represented by a particular emotion word in one language may not be totally captured in another language. Additionally, the findings indicate emotion words represent concepts with fuzzy borders (as suggested in scripts hypothesis) instead of dots in affect grids as envisioned in evaluation-potency-activity measurements. Such concepts vary in the spectrum of events they denote and in the degree to which they overlap. Subsequently, we, drawing from skopos theory, argue that cultural contexts in translation studies need to be considered rather than looking for exact equivalence of these emotion words.</em>
Highlights
Studies in disciplines like anthropology, psychology, sociology, translation, and communication have considered the relationship between emotions and culture
Using Bengali texts and their English translations done by a set of English speaking native Bengali translators and another set of native English translators, we analyze how two specific Bengali emotion words have mapped onto English
This indicates that no English word represents a concept that is close to obhiman’s meaning suggesting that the concept represented by a particular emotion word in one language may not be totally captured in another language
Summary
Studies in disciplines like anthropology, psychology, sociology, translation, and communication have considered the relationship between emotions and culture. Starting with Hochschild’s seminal study (1983), sociologists have emphasized the important role of culture in shaping emotions. Obhiman can loosely be translated as anger, while lajja as shame or embarrassment We have selected these two words because past research has suggested that they do not have exact English equivalents (Parish, 1991; Russell, 1991; Menon & Shweder, 1994). We study Bengali texts and their English translations to analyze how native Bengali and English translators communicate these two emotion words in English to their prospective readers. This helps to understand if there is a systematic way to communicate the concepts to those readers whose native language have similar concepts, and on the other hand, those readers whose native language, do not have them. Translators are assumed to have deep knowledge of both languages and cultures, in the best position to express an emotion in a language which does not have a word for it
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