By N. Oumabady

Translators should be able to transcribe a text suitably, according to its purpose and target audience, taking into accounts not only language aspects but also social and cultural factors and the very purpose of the translation. For doing so, a specific set of skills is required to overcome language barriers. The aim of this case study tries to bring out challenges faced by translators.

The union territory of Pondicherry is an erstwhile French colony. A momentous event in the freedom movement of Puducherry occurred on 18 March 1954, when the members of the leaders proclaimed their decision to merge with India. The territories of French India were transferred to the Republic of India de facto on November 1st, 1954, and de jure on August 16th, 1962.

Hence, the French Administration was present in Pondicherry till 1962 officially and their influence and culture still continue to date. All civil and legal were in French only. While French was moving out, there are quite a number of Indian families who opted to convert into French on the basis of their participation as French troops in World Wars or they wanted to naturalize. In all means, thousands of families migrated to France and its associated colonies like Reunion, Cote d’Ivoire.

Thus, a large volume of documents was transcribed from the registers of Pondicherry and Indian Union Administration to the ones in France. It was birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, and legal and property documents. Enormous translation work was done and it keeps continuing.

Tamil Nadu uses to issue certificates mostly in Tamil and Pondicherry in French until in the ’90s. Hence, it is apparent that there was Tamil, English to French translations, and vice versa. There is large traffic even today with apparently no certified translator available in the State excepting Alliance Française de Pondichéry. However, there are a number of well-experienced translators still on work; but, the documents translated by them need to be attested by a Notary Public who may or may not French.

Documents that are being translated are mostly civil or legal and they pertain to issues connected to acquiring French citizenship. A translator in Pondicherry should be well versed on the legal procedures of French citizenship in addition to translating documents of the clients. He should also be aware as to where to shoot up the application of the client for the work desirably done in France.

Another challenge that remains on numbering and incomplete sentences in source languages. This occurs when, say for example, in Tamil Nadu documents are issued with numberings that carry Tamil alphabets which cannot be translated. Translators have to compromise and place a literally equivalent alphabet. This involves a great degree of expertise from the translators.