-Arya G
We often use WhatsApp, Facebook and all those stuffs to get connected to the community we live in . We chat using them ,share our images and videos etc. Usually we rely on our mother tongue to convey information. Most often we write the content using English alphabet. This is what we call transliteration. That is writing letters or words using letters of a particular language in a different language.
We often use WhatsApp, Facebook and all those stuffs to get connected to the community we live in . We chat using them ,share our images and videos etc. Usually we rely on our mother tongue to convey information. Most often we write the content using English alphabet. This is what we call transliteration. That is writing letters or words using letters of a particular language in a different language.
Transliteration is often misinterpreted as
translation. But in fact ,both of them are two discrete areas. When we express the sense of a piece of writing in another language it becomes a translation. A famous Malayalam poet and ex-MLA Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan had taken inspiration from Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot"and reproduced it in Malayalam in the name "Godoye Kaathu" .Whereas writing words in a different language is called transliteration. The daily exchanges we have with our friends can be taken as an illustration.
translation. But in fact ,both of them are two discrete areas. When we express the sense of a piece of writing in another language it becomes a translation. A famous Malayalam poet and ex-MLA Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan had taken inspiration from Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot"and reproduced it in Malayalam in the name "Godoye Kaathu" .Whereas writing words in a different language is called transliteration. The daily exchanges we have with our friends can be taken as an illustration.
We cannot but look at its advantages. It allows us to communicate with people in a different language without knowing the script. Usually other languages are transliterated into English, which helps us to send messages easily. Moreover, people can easily understand
whatever that is conveyed in the text.
whatever that is conveyed in the text.
Every coin has two sides. Likewise
transliteration also has negatives that outweigh its positives. Mostly we resort on English to transliterate or transform the Malayalam text. The more we transliterate the more we get detached from our mother tongue. lf we don't know how to write in our own language, then life is worthless. While doing the same we may not stick on to the rules and regulations prescribed by a language. We cannot transcribe (transliterate) the text accurately. Since the script of a language is confined to accommodate sounds of another language. This results in ambiguity.To explain I would like to give an example. Suppose l am asking one of my friends whether he is fine in Malayalam ;"Enna
undu?".There are chances for him to misread the text. Either he would answer "ldliyum Sambarum" or would say
"kuzhappamonnumilla",which means he is fine.Mathematically concluding the probability of my friend saying the right answer is 50. While we chat or post, the content which we share may include emotional aspects also. Since we are sharing it through a non verbal medium , it will not create the impact it should have, on us.
transliteration also has negatives that outweigh its positives. Mostly we resort on English to transliterate or transform the Malayalam text. The more we transliterate the more we get detached from our mother tongue. lf we don't know how to write in our own language, then life is worthless. While doing the same we may not stick on to the rules and regulations prescribed by a language. We cannot transcribe (transliterate) the text accurately. Since the script of a language is confined to accommodate sounds of another language. This results in ambiguity.To explain I would like to give an example. Suppose l am asking one of my friends whether he is fine in Malayalam ;"Enna
undu?".There are chances for him to misread the text. Either he would answer "ldliyum Sambarum" or would say
"kuzhappamonnumilla",which means he is fine.Mathematically concluding the probability of my friend saying the right answer is 50. While we chat or post, the content which we share may include emotional aspects also. Since we are sharing it through a non verbal medium , it will not create the impact it should have, on us.
When we ponder over the need of
transliteration for a while, we will deflnitely come to a conclusion. Even though we can pass on information easily we cannot ensure the accuracy of the content. In that sense it is
better to avoid transliteration. I would say, it is better to not use transliteration, lest you can ensure the accuracy of the text and make sure it is unambiguous.
transliteration for a while, we will deflnitely come to a conclusion. Even though we can pass on information easily we cannot ensure the accuracy of the content. In that sense it is
better to avoid transliteration. I would say, it is better to not use transliteration, lest you can ensure the accuracy of the text and make sure it is unambiguous.
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