I am just wondering what is involved in the translation of words and phrases from the English language into the written or spoken language of Sanskrit. From time to time, we get some questions about how to translate words or phrases from the English language to the Sanskrit language or script, and I am just interested in the process that might be involved in doing that. It seems to be more complicated than just a simple translation such as might be done with Western-World languages.

One statement that I would appreciate translated into Sanskrit would be a Clough original, and that would be "It's not practice that makes perfect, but perfect practice that makes perfect."

Now, I have no doubt that somewhere, sometime and at some place someone has thought of the same saying. But, for the time being, please humor me, that it is mine!

supriya _82

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी. Can you please translate that in English for me?

Well if I translate it in English SCRIPT IT BECOMES:
Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gareeyasi.
जननी - Janani
जन्मभूमिश्च - Janmabhoomischa
स्वर्गादपि - Swargadapi
गरीयसी - Gareeyasi



Now perhaps you can read it. It is a bit of a mouthful but if you try you might eventually be able to read it & pronounce it. But can you tell me what it means? No because though the script has been translated the language is still Sanskrit.

For that you need to translate it in the English language.
Here is translation in English LANGUAGE:
http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/lounge/...tml#post854268

supriya _82

So the dilema arises when people request tranlations in Sanskrit. Proper nouns are not a problem because you would call a person by his/her name whatever the language.
But when one asks phrases to be translated what does one want?

Let us take the word "cuirassé". It is French "Language". The script for French & English is the same. Any one who can read English can read it. So if someone requests a translation in English it is implied you want it translated in English Language which would be "battleship"!

So if I want the word जननी translated in ENGLISH SCRIPT it would be JANANI (JA+NA+NEE), but more meaning fully in English LANGUAGE it would mean "Mother".

Clough

So, are you saying that you can't translate the sentence that I have asked to be translated because of the way that I have worded it?

supriya _82

Conversely if someone asked me the translation of Mother.
The Sanskrit script would be:


The Sanskrit language would be

supriya _82

I personally cannot just of the top of my head into Sanskrit language. I can easily translate it into written sanskrit or Sanskrit script.

Clough

That still doesn't answer the question that I asked. Thank you.

Clough

You beat me to the answer to my question. Please let me rephrase...

Clough

If you can easilly post the phrase that I was requesting into written Sanskrit or Sanskrit script, please do. Thank you!

supriya _82

Hmm.I guess I have not been able to clarify.
For what it is worth here it is the translation in SANSKRIT SCRIPT. (It is all gobbledygook for sanskrit language though.) It is read exactly as you have written Clough ie. if you HEAR someone reading it you would think he was reading an english phrase. As a matter of fact it will SOUND exactly as it would sound reading your phrase written in English. (Am I making any sense?)