Challenges of Translating Creative Literature from English into Kiswahili

Abstract

The translation of the classical 18^th  and 19^th century Swahili poetry into English was an important step in disseminating this art-form to a global audience way beyond the African continent. Not only did this translation and adaptation of the classical poetry lead to the translation of Swahili prose in  early 20^th century but also offer useful insights into the nature of Swahili poetry in general. But, what was the criteria used in selecting the poetry works to be translated? The paper which is guided by the tenets of the Equivalence theory as expounded by Xie (2014) briefly looks at the major arguments for and against this theory in achieving meaning equivalence between SL and TL. In doing this, it explores the style and language of a number of classical Swahili poems and concludes that although it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve a perfect equivalence in translating a rigid form such as poetry, varieties in translations are an asset rather than a liability. Secondly, since poetry is a means of expressing personal or national ideology, feelings and attitudes, its translation acts as a bridging tool through which different cultures can get closer. This is best exemplified in case of the translated Swahili classical poetry.