Father Tongues, Mother Tongues, and Other Tongues

Abstract

A considerable amount of translation is done in Bangladesh, functional
and literary, from English – and other languages – to Bangla – and
from Bangla to English – and other languages. Most translations in
other parts of the world are from another language to the speaker’s own
language, from another tongue to the mother tongue. In Bangladesh
– as well as in other parts of the sub-continent – translations from
the mother tongue to English are common. In addition, there is a
lot of translation into Bangla from “other tongues,” languages which
one has not learned. These translations are almost always via another
translation, generally an English one. What are the problems related to
this sort of translation? The paper discusses the issues which crop up in
these situations and attempts to suggest solutions.