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Hadjivayanis, Ida (2011) Norms of Swahili Translations in Tanzania: An Analysis of Selected
Translated Prose. PhD Thesis, SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies)

http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/13602

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Norms of Swahili Translations in Tanzania:
An Analysis of Selected Translated Prose

By

Ida HADJIVAYANIS

School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

August 2011

i
DECLARATION FOR PhD THESIS
I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the
School of Oriental and African Studies concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the
material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me,
in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or
paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly
acknowledged in the work which I present for examination.

Signed: _____Ida Hadjivayanis__________ Date: ___21st March 2012__________

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DEDICATION

To my Life, my little Children,
Aaliyah, My first Love, my Constant, my Baby;
Aalim, the one whom the Heart remembers most for it had Loved best;
Aamal Hannah, My little bundle of Hope, my Soul!

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis is the result of a number of year’s worth of work whereby I have been
supported by a number of people. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my parents, Mrs
Salha Hadjivayanis Hamdani and Dr Georgios Hadjivayanis for their love, blessings,
support, sacrifices and continued inspiration. I could never thank them enough.

I am particularly indebted to my supervisor, Dr Chege Githiora who provided me with
unlimited intellectual support. He has been patient and supportive, going over the
various drafts of the thesis, even when on holiday, and supplying me with
constructive criticisms. He also gave me the opportunity to lecture in Swahili
translation which has been beneficial to the development of this thesis. He has left a
deep impression on me.

I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr Farouk Topan who, prior to his
retirement, was my initial supervisor. He kept an eye on me and was available
whenever I needed him. I thank him for the thought provoking discussions that he
engaged me in. I wish to also extend my gratitude to Dr Martin Orwin who was part
of my supervisory committee, for reading my thesis and offering some extremely
helpful comments. Similarly, I wish to thank Dr Phillip Jaggar and Dr Alena Rettova
for their clear and concise comments on the thesis. They have all, in important ways,
shaped the final version of my thesis.

I also owe a great debt of gratitude to many people who facilitated my research. These
include the translators, Mr Hassan Adam and Deogratius Simba; publishers including
Walter Bgoya, Ms Demere Kitunga and Mr. Isiador Karugendo. Also from the
Ministry of Education, Dr Hermans Mwansoko and the former Minister of Finance,
Mrs Zakia Hamdani Meghji, all of whom made great input to this thesis. Many people
also gave their precious time for me to interview and these include Mariam Hamdani,
Rabia Hamdani, Prof Mulokozi, Prof Issa Shivji and Maalim Idris Saleh. In the same
breath, I wish to thank my sister, Inessa Hadjivayanis who provided me with immense
support and encouragement throughout this period.

This thesis would never ‘be’ had it not been for the great support extended to me by
my husband, Abshir Hersi Warsame, with whom I have lived one of the greatest
experiences through this period: the birth of our babies, Aaliyah, Aalim and Aamal
Hannah and the tragic experience of the loss of our son, Aalim, whose memory will
remain forever engraved in our heart. We miss him so much!

To them all I say, Asanteni.

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ABSTRACT

This study is about the Norms of Swahili translations as analysed through a selection
of translated prose. The selection comprises Alfu lela ulela (The thousand and one
Nights) and Mabepari wa Venisi which is a translation of Shakespeare’s The
Merchant of Venice. These two canonical Swahili translations have been done in
conjunction with a more modern translation of Naguib Mahfouz’s The Search,
translated as Msako in Swahili. For comparative purposes a number of translated
prose and some narratives that are part of Swahili children literature have been
included.

I have set forth the argument that there are a number of Swahili translation norms
operating within the polysystem. These norms have been influenced by a number of
active agents including patronage and the interference of English which led to
translation occupying a central position within the Swahili polysystem for a number
of decades. This is why translation has been crucial in the formation of Swahili
literature although this situation was reversed in the 1970s from whence translation
has occupied a marginal position in Tanzania.

A number of translation strategies have also become the norm and these include
appropriation, omission and the use of an unmistakable form of ideological and
cultural manipulation. Similarly, there has been extensive use of situational
equivalence where what is Swahili substitutes the foreign contexts. Nevertheless one
of my arguments is that this trend is being re-defined. Despite the ambiguous status of
some of these strategies. and their perceived marginalized position in the West, to the
Swahili, these have been regarded and accepted as part of the entire Swahili
translation system.

To a large extent, I have used a target oriented approach since the translations
themselves have largely prioritized the target Swahili language and culture. The
analysis has been undertaken through a comparative depiction of the processes and
strategies that were undertaken by translators. This was done at a macro as well as
micro level. At the macro level, I have examined the extra-textual materials in relation
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to the socio-cultural and political context of Tanzania while at micro level I have
investigated the textual sources which are the translations themselves.

The thesis concludes with the presentation of translation norms that range from the
ready acceptance of indirect translations being embraced as Swahili literature to the
practise of translator’s self-commissioning. I have argued that factors that have led to
the categorization of norms are often inter-dependent. I sought to categorise Swahili
norms broadly into norms that domesticate and those that foreignize translation
literature. The future of Swahili translations in Tanzania will emerge through the
struggle between what is alien and what is familiar, which can also be portrayed as the
global and the local.

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Table of Contents
Declaration for PhD thesis............................................................................................ii
Dedication....................................................................................................................iii
Acknowledgement........................................................................................................iv
Abstract.......................................................................................................................v
Table of Contents.......................................................................................................vii

INTRODUCTION
Swahili Translations in Tanzania....................................................1

1. CHAPTER ONE
Situating Swahili Literary Translation
1.1 Translation during the Pre-Colonial period....................................................15
1.2 Translation during the Colonial period..........................................................21
1.3 Translation during the Post-Colonial Period...................................................32
1.4 Language and Translation Policies in Tanzania..............................................45
1.5 Summary..........................................................................................................54

2. CHAPTER TWO
Theoretical framework and Literature Review
2.1 Background Information………………………………………………….....56
2.2 Overview of Translation Theories…………………………………...............61
2.3 Polysystem Theory……………………………………………………….......67
2.3.1 Translation Norms………………................................................................74
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2.3.2 Types of Norms .........………………………………............……...............84

2.4 The Domesticating and Foreignizing Strategies………………………..........88
2.5 Literature Review ……………………………………………………............91
2.6 Summary ……..………………………………………………………...........99

3. CHAPTER THREE
Research Methodology
3.1 Background Information: Brief overview of Methodology .........................100
3.2 Publishing in Tanzania …......………………….………………...................104
3.3 Instruments of Data Collection......................................................................108
3.3.1 Choice of the Study Area….....…………………….…………..................109
3.3.2 Written Sources …....……………………………........………….............110
3.3.3 Interviews…….....……………………………………..…….....…...........116
3.3.3.1 Respondents ...........................................................................................122
3.3.4 Questionnaire………………………………………..................................124
3.4 Plans for Data Analysis and Interpretation.....………………………....…..126
3.5 Analysis………………………………………………………………..........128

4. CHAPTER FOUR
The Translation of the Thousand and One Nights during the
Colonial and the Post-Colonial Periods
4.1 Background Information ....................................................……..………….130
4.2 Synopsis…………………………………………………………………….131
4.3 Historical Perspective of the Translation …………………………..............132
4.4 The Nights in Swahili ……………………………………………................140
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4.4.1 The Swahili Abunuwas…………………….……………………..........144
4.5 Alfu lela Ulela and its Swahili translators………………………..…............153
4.5.1 Edwin Brenn and Frederick Johnson .....................................................153
4.5.2 Hassan Adam .........................................................................................160
4.6 A Brief Analysis of the Translations .......…………………..……………...167
4.7 Towards a Target Oriented Study of Language and Culture……….….…...171
4.7.1 Language and Style Usage ……………………………....................…....172
4.7.1.1 Refractions………………………………………………......….......179
4.7.2 Portrayal of Culture…………………………………………………….....188
4.7.2.1 Religion…………………………………………………......……....190
4.7.2.2 Eroticism ...........................................................................................200
4.7.2.3 The Supernatural ...............................................................................208
4.7.2.4 Race and Identity ………………………………………......…........212
4.8 Analysis……………………………………………………………....…......223

5. CHAPTER FIVE
The Translation of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
5.1 Background Information ....………………………..............………………230
5.2 William Shakespeare…………………………………………………........231
5.3 The Play’s Synopsis……………………………………………….......…...232
5.4 Background Information to the Swahili Translation...……………........…..236
5.5 Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the Swahili Translator......……......……..........237
5.6 Criteria for Choice of Translation...…………………………………..….....242
5.7 Reflection of Titles in Translation…………………………..……........…...248
5.8 An Analysis of the Translation.…………………………………......……..251
5.9 Language Use in the Translation…….…………………………........……..255
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