Linguistic Gaps in the English-Kiswahili Translation of Agropesticide Texts in Tanzania

Abstract

This paper investigates the linguistic gaps in the English- Kiswahili translation of agropesticide texts in Tanzania. The Kiswahili translation of such information enables farmers to be familiar with the proper ways of controlling and managing pests and diseases. Different agropesticide texts were collected from farm input shops and analysed, and informants were interviewed based on the words, phrases, and sentences from the texts. The data were then analysed through thematic analysis. The translation of such information faces some challenges including coinage in the source language, meaning distinction in the source language, formal differences between English and Kiswahili, lack of Kiswahili equivalents for the names of some Kiswahili diseases and pests, and the traditional agricultural practices. Given the genealogical and typological differences between English and Kiswahili, translating through descriptions would overcome non-equivalence between the two languages at the word level. Translating agropesticide texts in Tanzania has implications for proper farming practices among farmers. Directions on the proper use of agropesticides are meant to make farmers practice productive farming. The challenges facing the translation between the two languages can be mitigated through descriptive equivalence and borrowing which is adapted to the morphological and phonological patterns of the target language.