Perks Of Translation

I’ve been to Sri Lanka twice and I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t learn much about its rich and complicated history, ethnicities and geography during my visits. A PI article I recently translated opened my eyes to many sides of that extraordinary country. 

To my shock, a civil war broke out in the 80s and ended in 2009! None of the Sri Lankans I met and got to know ever mentioned a word about the civil war as though it never ccurred. There are a few ethnicities in Sri Lanka; Sinhala and Tamil are the predominant ones. The Tamils are divided into two different groups: Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils. The former are indigenous to the country while the latter were forcefully brought in by the British colonizers in the 19th century to work on tea plantations. In 1964, a pact was signed between India and Sri Lanka under which many Indian Tamils were repatriated to India while others were promised citizenship, that they still fight for. To date, many Indian-origin Tamils are stateless and are denied land and services. The article focused on the Indian Tamils and their lengthy struggle for citizenship and equal rights. 

This is one of the perks of translation for me, especially with topics that I might not explore on my own. I usually translate topics I'm interested in and comfortable with. I'm glad that I got out of my comfort zone and grabbed this opportunity to translate and learn about a country I love. 

Another benefit I gained was when I tried to understand what the word Malaiyaha was. Since I couldn’t find much information about Malaiyaha Tamils online, I assumed it might not be 100% accurate. Fortunately, I asked Chinthi, our great Sri Lankan admin who in return reached out to her Tamil friends. They explained that Malaiyaha is another word of Malyakam, which means Hill Country or Upcountry, hence they were called Malaiyaha Tamils. This was a lesson that I shouldn’t jump to conclusions before doing a thorough search and asking for help from others. Indeed, collaboration achieves great contributions. 

Then, I started searching articles that talked about Sri Lanka’s history in Arabic. Most of the articles were limited to tourism-related topics such as famous Sri Lankan attractions and cuisine. The very few articles that dealt with Sri Lankan history were by and large about the civil war, and much fewer discussed the colonial era. 

Nevertheless, one of the articles that addressed the civil war, written in 2009, was unexpectedly enlightening. It made meaningful remarks that some countries who expressed their concern regarding the numbers of civilians killed and atrocities committed in the Sri Lankan civil war were the same countries that provided the Sri Lankan government with weapons. Seeing escalating wars and genocides around the world today, this struck a chord with me. 

The writer concluded by mentioning that what happened in Sri Lanka would have consequences outside the country as well. He emphasized that the international silence over aggression and violations in Sri Lanka would embolden other international governments to follow the Sri Lankan “example” without fear of sanctions. I believe I don’t have to name any countries here, just look around the globe. 

Last but not least, if I wasn’t a volunteer member of ProZ Pro Bono, I wouldn’t be learning all that. Imagine, you don’t only translate, develop your skills working on challenging tasks and gain an understanding on a lot of issues and causes worldwide, but also help others comprehend foreign content in their mother tongue. 

In a nutshell, your efforts are well-invested with ProZ Pro Bono.