From Decolonising the Mind to Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa:a translator’s experience

Abstract

There has been an overwhelming interface between theories in translation, however, practical reflections on translated texts are scanty. This empirical paper evaluates the translation process. It unveils the challenges and the associated strategies from a translator’s experience while doing the first translation of Decolonising the Mind into an African language in Africa: the ChiShona text, Kutapanura Pfungwa Dzakatapwa. It was dubbed “homecoming” by the author, Professor wa Thiong’o. From perspectives relating to intellectualisation and decolonisation, the translator was the key participant in this qualitative inquiry. The translated text was the primary source of data deployed in conjunction with the source text. This research advances that an interdisciplinary approach provides the foundation for eclectic theory in translation studies. Grounded theory informed the theoretical analysis of the translated text from the target audience’s perspective. The study affirms that while translation cannot be guided by straight-jacketed approaches, copyright laws stifle the spontaneous growth of translations into African languages. Translation strategies mutate according to the text type and the languages involved. To this end, the translation of seminal literary works demands unique methods. This translator’s experience enhances narratives and discourses on the notions of translation and decoloniality, as well as the intellectualisation of African languages