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teaching. | teaching. | ||
We have tried to follow the wise principle of King Alfred (849-899), | |||
perhaps the first of English translators ("sometimes word for word, sometimes meaning for meaning"), by which he meant that translation should | |||
be literal where possible, free and interpretative where necessary, and at all | |||
times accurate. | |||
{{InlineImage | {{InlineImage | ||
|float=left | |float=left | ||
|img=King Alfred.jpg | |img=King Alfred.jpg | ||
|width= | |width=250px | ||
|caption=Eighteenth-century portrait of Alfred by Samuel Woodforde Source: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great Wikipedia] | |caption=Eighteenth-century portrait of Alfred by Samuel Woodforde Source: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great Wikipedia] | ||
}} | }} | ||
In translating the ''Bodhicharyāvatāra'', it is perhaps not | |||
possible, or even desirable, to achieve the equivalent of Luther's declared | possible, or even desirable, to achieve the equivalent of Luther's declared | ||
intention in his translation of the Old Testament: "to make Moses sound so German that no one would ever suspect he was a Jew." Nevertheless, it has been our aim to convey Shāntideva's meaning as clearly as we could, | intention in his translation of the Old Testament: "to make Moses sound so German that no one would ever suspect he was a Jew." Nevertheless, it has been our aim to convey Shāntideva's meaning as clearly as we could, | ||
Revision as of 11:24, 31 October 2023
See Padmakara The Way of the Boddhisattva p.i-xxi
This page will include a discussion on methodological issues related to the translation of the Bodhicaryāvatāra into modern languages. In this discussion, we will identify key points that are particularly relevant for translators of Indian Buddhist treatises.
The titles listed in the bibliography below are useful sources to develop this page. Even if their main focus appears to be on different subject, they have been selected because they include valuable information on the topic of this page.
