When Rain Clouds Gather

Translation is the process or result of transferring language from one variety to another. It can also be defined as the transfer of ideas across cultures. The translation of When Rain Clouds Gather into Setswana is meticulously done. This is because Head and the translator, Thedi, are members of the same society and therefore have first-hand information on the lifestyle of the people depicted in the novel. It becomes easy for them to communicate African views and concepts. They maintain their full flavour and message. The translated version manages to capture that message.

In an analysis of the intermediate English version of When Rain Clouds Gather by Tarner and the Setswana version by Thedi, we realize that the covers of the novels are different but at the same time give the reader the picture of the same village in contrast. The English version shows a picture of a woman with a basket on her head. The basket contains strange things like a huge cow, some birds and maize cobs. It is more artistic than real. It is a picture of Golema Mmidi when there is rain and plenty to eat. There are some people gathered together. Perhaps it shows solidarity among the community.

In the Setswana version we see a picture of lean or thin cattle. This shows less prosperity and to some degree it becomes more realistic because harsh climatic conditions are prevalent in Botswana. However, the translation is accurate. The translation is faithful to the source text; Thedi takes into consideration situational, literary, political, cultural and religious context. We have to note that in translation, the translator's goal is to produce in the receptor language a text which best communicates the same message as the source language, but using the natural grammatical and lexical choices in the receptor language. The translator has to decode and encode whereby she breaks down the source language, analyses it and converts it to the target language.

The evidence that the translator managed to transfer ideas from one language to another is shown from the beginning of the novel. In chapter one, for instance, we see that Makhaya is fleeing from racism: "He would not stay in a country where black men were called 'boy or dog'" (8). We also capture the same message in the Setswana version: "One a sa ikaelela go nna mo lefatsheng le eteng gore mo go lone batho ba bantsho ba ne ba bidina 'mosimane kana ntsha'" (1). South Africa is depicted as a country of racial discrimination.

In addition to the above points, the translator has to take into consideration the target group that is the people she is translating for. The language used suits the target group. It is a colloquial language which is suitable for intermediate level students and those who have acquired minimum education.

We have to note again that translation is done for a various reasons but mostly texts are chosen to communicate certain information to people speaking another language or to show the enjoyment ...