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Translating Buddhist Texts: Hands-on Experiences Shared
Nguyen Minh Trang
Binh Duong University, Vietnam
(Paper presented at the 8th ASIA-PACIFIC Forum on Translation and Intercultural Studies in
Bangkok, Thailand, 13-15 December 2019)
ABSTRACT
Translating Buddhist texts can become interesting but hard work for translators and interpreters.
The paper begins with a brief introduction to Buddhism in the Asia-Pacific region, the important
role of Buddhist translations in the area, stating the advantages of translators and/or interpreters
living in this region. Then the paper focuses on the disadvantages translators encounter when
translating Buddhist texts from their source language into English. The paper focuses on
problems related to background knowledge of different sects of Buddhism, Buddhist terms, and
proper names of different Buddhas and historical figures as well as names of Buddhist symbols
and objects with their appropriate Buddhist meanings that translators and interpreters need to
perform translating tasks. The paper also suggests some practical solutions and useful free digital
resources that are available for translators and interpreters to resolve the mentioned problems.
Pedagogical implications will also be given to schools. The paper is written in light of translation
theories and Buddhist literature review; however, it mainly focuses on hands-on experiences the
author has gained during the past 20 years working as a volunteer translator for Buddhist temples
in Vietnam and in the USA.
KEYWORDS: translating Buddhist texts, Buddhist translations, problems of translating
Buddhist texts, Buddhist discourse, Buddhist canon
Introduction
Translating is a very important activity that assists people of different languages enable to
understand their communication. Translating perhaps can be carried out in oral form or written
form, or both. Oral translation is usually referred to as „interpretation‟, whereas written
translation is considered „translation‟. Ruegg (2016) said „translation is a deliberate act; but in
certain situations it may be a more or less automatic act of transcoding‟ (p. 194). Translation is
an act that one translates someone‟s ideas or thoughts, or concepts into speech or into writing. It
is also a combination of the two acts. As a professional translator or interpreter, he is required to
„a faithful intermediary and conscientious translator or interpreter. He must keep the original
meaning of the spoken or written message and convey it in an utterance or a text that has similar
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meaning to the original one. This only happens when he can properly understand the message.
Otherwise, the original meaning of translated work will be lost in translation or interpretation.
Background
Buddhism widely spreads in the Asia-Pacific region
Buddhism is one of the main religions in the Asia-Pacific region. Beginning from Tibet or India,
Buddhism spreads to other parts of Asia via two directions: Northern and Southern directions.
From the south gate, we have Theravada Buddhism and from the Northern gate, we have
Mahayana Buddhism. Although these two big schools have some different points of practice, in
general, they share common teachings of the Lord Buddha: suffering, habits that brings out
Suffering and the Way. In the Southeast region only, Buddhism is considered a national religion
in such countries as Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Photo 1: Buddhism in the Southeast Asia
(Source: https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/buddhism-in-southeast-
asia/history-of-the-theravada-ordination-lineages)
Another theory by Archives (2003) is that Buddha‟s teachings first spread to southeast Asia, then
through Central Asia to China and the rest of East Asia, and finally to Tibet and to other parts of
Central Asia. Buddhism developed in the region because of local interest in “foreign merchant‟s
Buddhist beliefs”. Regional rulers adopted Buddhism to help them bring ethics to their people.
By making Buddha‟s message available to the public, people were free to choose what was
helpful to them.
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Photo 2: Spread of Buddhism in Asia
(Source https://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/about-buddhism/the-world-of-
buddhism/spread-of-buddhism-in-asia)
All of these legends and non-legends stories reflect the fact that Buddhism does exist in this
region and plays an important role in human life and human philosophy. In order to understand
Buddhism, local people in the region need translated works by scholars in the field.
The importance of Buddhist translations in the Asia-Pacific region
Asia or the Asia-Pacific region is a region in which Buddhism is widely dominating. Buddhism
has been existed in this region since the fourth century CE starting from the reign of the 28th
ruler of the Yar-lung principality, Lha-tho-tho-ri-gnyan-bstan. Apple (2014) said that Buddhist
discourses and holy items were brought to the Asia- Pacific region by monks from Central Asia
or Indian monks through on their to China (Sørensen, 1994). Although these stories are
considered legends, they indicate “a plausible situation where some knowledge of Buddhism
came to Tibet in the latter phases of its prehistory, as Buddhism was already well established in
all the surrounding lands, including China to the east, India and Nepal to the south, and in
Central Asian city-states to the north” (Apple 2014, p. 104).
Advantages and disadvantages of translating Buddhist texts in the region.
Advantages
Buddhism is widely spreads in the Asia-Pacific region: Common Buddhist knowledge shared
Buddhism is one of the main religions in the Asia-Pacific region. Beginning from Tibet or India,
Buddhism spreads to other parts of Asia via two directions: Northern and Southern directions.
From the south gate, we have Theravada Buddhism and from the Northern gate, we have
Mahayana Buddhism. Although these two big schools have some different points of practice, in
general, they share common teachings of the Lord Buddha: suffering, habits that brings out
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Suffering and the Way. In the Southeast region only, Buddhism is considered a national religion
in such countries as Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Thanks to the existence of Buddhism in the region, local people in this area usually have some
sort of needed knowledge, Buddhist rites and Buddhist ceremonies when dealing with this
religion, and translators and interpreters are not an exceptional case.
Local people can reluctantly become translators when visitors stop at their local Buddhist
temples without tour guides. The people in and around the temples can perform their
interpretation to assist visitors understand about their temples.
Similar Buddhist schools leading to similar ideas when translating Buddhist texts
When translating Buddhist texts, translators may come across some abstract ideas related to
Buddhist sutras, mantras, or Buddhist canon in general. As mentioned above, as Buddhism
widely spreads in the region, translators of Buddhist texts feel it easier than translators from
other regions, especially from Western countries in which people‟s regions may be different
from the local people of the Asia-Pacific region. As concepts of Buddhism is common in this
area, ideas are similar to translators even they are from different countries in the region. One
example is that when translators from Thailand and Laos have to translate a Buddhist text into
English, they may have similar styles of translating as they both follow Theravada Buddhism.
Similar case will happen to translators from Vietnam and China as illustrated in the following
example of translated verse of merit transference in Mahayana Buddhism into the three
languages of Chinese, Vietnamese and English.
Chinese Original Verse of Merit Transference
願以此功德 莊嚴佛淨土
上報四重恩 下濟三途苦
若有見聞者 悉發菩提心
盡此一報身 同生極樂國
Vietnamese version:
Kệ hồi hướng
Nguyện đem công đức này
Trang nghiêm cõi Tịnh độ
Trên báo tứ trọng ân
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Dưới độ ba đường ác
Nếu có ai nghe thấy
Xin cùng phát Bồ đề tâm
Khi mạng chung
Đồng sanh Cực Lạc quốc
English version:
Verse of Merit Transference
May the merit and virtue accrued from this work,
Adorn the Buddha‟s Pure Lands, Repaying four kinds of kindness above,
And aiding those suffering in the paths below.
May those who see and hear of this,
All bring forth the resolve for Bodhi,
And when this retribution body is over,
Be born together in ultimate bliss.
(Source: Shurangama Mantra (2004) published by Buddhist Text Translation Society, USA.)
Numerous translated works of Buddhist discourses in the Internet to obtain background
knowledge of Buddhism
Translated Buddhist texts in print or digital form are available for free use and download from
the Internet. These resources will help Buddhist translators improve their background knowledge
of the subject and learn technical terms that they need for their job requirements. As mentioned
above, translators and interpreters need to decide the vehicles of Buddhism, the source language
(Sanskrit or Pali) and good Buddhist dictionaries, and good translations to assist them in
translating Buddhist texts. Depending on themes or subthemes of translation, translators can
select appropriate sources to learn and update their background knowledge in Buddhism. For
instance, if translators work in countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia or Burma where
Theravada and Vajrayana widely spread, they need to use resources related to their Buddhist
schools or Buddhist traditions. By doing this, they can save time and effort in learning vast
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knowledge of Buddhism which contains mountains of books no one can finish even in one‟s
lifespan.
Having similar religions and similar cultures
Buddhism is popular in this region and many countries take Buddhism as their national religion.
Countries of Theravada are the first countries recognize Buddhism as their main or national
religion. That means majority of people in these nations are Buddhists. As Buddhism is a
national religion, locals know Buddhism, practice and perform rites/ceremonies of Buddhist
activities. Common concepts of Buddhism are understood from grass-root levels. Due to
following the same Buddhist sects, they share similar cultural points towards daily life. Recently
Vietnam also declared Mahayana Buddhism as her national religion. Although Chinese
Mahayana Buddhism is not recognized as a national religion in China, Chinese Buddhists still
share similar religious and cultural aspects of Buddhism with people of other countries like
Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Their practices might be slightly different but basically their
Buddhist thinking and philosophy are similar.
Disadvantages
Different Buddhist traditions causing difficulties in understanding Buddhist knowledge
Although people in the Asia Pacific mostly follow Buddhism, they still face difficulties in
understanding other people‟s Buddhist sects or Buddhist schools they have never practiced.
There are three vehicles of Buddhist practice in the Asia-Pacific region (Khenchen Thrangu,
1994). Namely they are the Theravada Vehicle, the Mahayana Vehicle, and the Vajrayana
Vehicle among them, the first two vehicles are more popular in this region. As different Buddhist
vehicles conduct their daily practices with different sutras, shastras, mantras and Buddhist
discourses, locals have different ideas about Buddhism that lead to different images and rites
attaching with different of sages and Bodhisattvas. One typical example is the worship of the
Lord Buddha Sakyamuni and other Buddhas and sages in the region. If one visits a Buddhist
temple in Thailand, Cambodia or Burma, one can worship only the Lord Buddha Sakyamuni
displayed right in the main halls of the temples as these countries follow the Theravada
Buddhism. Buddhist terms will come out of this tradition such as “sutta” or “Lord Buddha”.
While with other vehicles like the Mahayana school or the Vajrayana school, besides the
Buddha, these two schools still have many other sages or Boddhisattvas that create more
complicated words for translators or interpreters when they have to lead tour guides to Buddhist
temples of these traditions. For instance, visitors to Vietnamese and Chinese Buddhist temples
can see several statues which may confuse them. Besides the Buddha Sakyamuni, these monastic
places have the images of Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha Amitable, Buddha Maitreya,
Bodhisattva Guan Yin, Bodhisattva Earth Store, Bodhisattva Great Strength, Bodhisattva
Universal Worthy, and so on. Different images require translator to obtain background
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knowledge to use different Buddhist terms in English, and these terms sometimes are hard to be
remembered.
Photo 4: Different Buddha images
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Photo 5: Bodhisattvas
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Photo 6: Dharma Protector Wei T‟o Bodhisatta
Problems of transferring different Buddhist cultures
When a translator conducts a translation of a Buddhist text, he or she will face the complexity of
differences in cultures between the source language and the target language. For instance,
Theravada Buddhism, the Buddha is often as the Lord Buddha. In Mahayana, the word refers to
Lord Buddha is the Buddha or Buddha only as in some countries where Mahayana Buddhism
exits, there are still many other religions which are attracting more population than Buddhism,
the word “Lord” is quite often used in Catholic or Christian texts. That is one of the reasons
translators try to avoid misunderstanding of this word. When mentioned Buddha, people in
Mahayana Buddhism think Buddha is just a title given to an enlightened person, and they think
the word “Lord” might refer to someone in higher position as equivalent to the word “saint”.
This difference might have its root from cultural differences in interpreting the Buddha or the
Lord Buddha‟s image. Also, in Mahayana Buddhism, there were some Buddhas who had been
named Buddha already in the past, and there will be future Buddha such as Buddha Maitreya
who will descent from the Tushita Heaven, and become a new Buddha in this world. As Mathes
and Forgues (2014) said “in the case of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist translation studies, the complexity
of translating texts into modern languages is compounded by the fact that this process is the
result of a double cultural transfer between Sanskrit and Tibetan, as well as source languages and
modern languages.” (p.1)
One example is the word “sin”. It looks like the word “karma” used in Buddhism. However, in
Buddhist texts, we often use the word “karma” as it indicates a “wrong” or a “bad” action
someone has done. The word “karma” rarely translated into English and it is kept as its
originality because “karma” as some other words contain meanings and if we translate it into
„bad act”, it just covers one meaning and other meanings will be destroyed. The same case
happens to “Namo” which means “paying homage to”. This word also has many meanings that
are integrated within the word “Namo”, and it is recommended it be kept as it is used originally
before. Some scholars said these words are “untranslatable” words because they fail to find the
equivalent translations in their target languages, but in Chinese, Chinese scholars call them
words of “multi-layers meanings”. That means some words that have several layers of hidden
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meanings should not be translated because if we choose one meaning, we can destroy other
important meanings (Archives 2013,p. 1).
Buddhist terms needed for translating Buddhist texts
When translators do their Buddhist text translation, they may have difficulties in finding out
correct words for certain words that they do not know and these words may be untranslatable
words. It is more difficult if the translators are not Buddhists, as a result, they have a tendency to
keep the original words Sanskrit or Pali words that readers feel harder to understand translated
Buddhist works. The author of this paper suggests that translators should replace Sanskit or Pali
words with English equivalents or similar vocabulary of the target language as much as possible.
Due to the fact that if translators think some words are “untranslatable”, keeping Sanskit or Pali
words everywhere in their translations, the purpose of translating Buddhist texts to help the
public understand them has failed. Archives (2003) has found out that many terms used in
Buddhist texts are “misleading translation terms”, usually these Buddhist “terms are coined by
the Christian missionaries, often coming from a Victorian background”. He said translated things
into words that carry every strong Christian connotations which were totally irrelevant in the
Buddhist context such words as “sin” that I have quoted above (see:
(https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/transmission-of-
buddhism/methodology-for-translating-buddhist-texts).
Table 1 below shows technical terms relating to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas‟ names that cause
problems to translators in translating Buddhist texts of the Mahayana Buddhism.
Buddhas
Buddhist vehicle
Meanings
1. Buddha Shakyamuni
Three vehicles
Lord of this world
2. Buddha Amitable
Mahayana
Buddha of the Western Land
3. Buddha Maitreya
Mahayana
Future Buddha
4. Buddha Medicine Master
Mahayana
Buddha cures illnesses
Table 1: Popular Buddha names
These words are merely some of the technical terms from Buddhism that may cause difficulties
to translators. How to resolve this problem will be found in the next section of this paper.
Proper names of Buddhist
historic figures/historic places
Buddhist vehicle
Note
1. Ten disciples of the Buddha
Three vehicles
Names are in Pali/Sanskrit,
not easy to pronounce
2. Zen Patriarches/ Chan Masters
Mahayana Buddhism
Proper names in Chinese
3. Other proper names famous
Buddhist supreme monks/nuns
Three vehicles
Long names with strange
spelling
4. Proper names of places related
to Buddha‟s life and cultivation
periods
Three vehicles
Pali/Sanskrit words
Table 2: Proper names of Buddhist historic figures
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As the names of the Buddhas, patriarches and Buddhist historical figures are in Pali or Sanskrit,
they sometimes cause great difficulty to translators and interpreters to remember them or even
look them up in the Buddhist dictionaries. Sometimes their names are not listed there for
translators to use in their translations.
Different Buddhist vehicles using different Buddhist discourses
Stemming from the fact that Buddhist practice in the Asia-Pacific region is rich in form and
various in cultivation, translators will feel a little confused when they come cross Buddhist ideas
or Buddhist terms that do not belong to Buddhist practice done in their own countries. In
countries following Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist monks and nuns are using Buddhist sutras
such as the Agaham scriptures, the Nikaya Sutras while in other countries taking Mahayana
Buddhism as their own Buddhist practice (Epstein, 2003; Wikipedia (2019); Rhys Davids, 1891).
Perhaps in some cases Sangha communities of Mahayana Buddhism also use the sutras from the
Theravada schools, but different sects of Buddhism provide different and vast Buddhist
knowledge to translators. That can be a great problem for them to perform their Buddhist
translating work. Below are some sutras of the Mahayana Buddhism that sound strange to
translators and interpreters who get used to Theravada Buddhism.
Photo 7: Proper names of sutras of the “big vehicles”
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(Retrieved from http://www.buddhisttexts.org/free-sutras-amp-shastras.html)
Among these sutras, Buddhists of other vehicles may have never heard of. These sutras or
mantras are often named the developed sutras that mean sutras developed after the Buddha spoke
sutras for the Sangha communities of the Theravada Vehicle. One interesting but surprising
“sutra” that often cause arguments among Buddhist scholars as it is spoken by a Chinese Sixth
Zen/Chan Patriarch Hui Neng “the Sixth Patriarch Sutra” or in full it is named “the Sixth
Patriarch’s Dharma Platform Sutra”. It seems all of these developed sutras or mantras are not
recognized as original sutras spoken by the Lord Buddha and perhaps more debates or arguments
still continue to go with these Buddhist discourses.
Buddhist sutras in Sanskrit/Pali
Buddhist vehicle
Suggested English translation
1. The Khuddaka Nikaya (Pali)
Therevada Buddhism
The Short Length Discourses
of the Buddha
2. The Majahim Nikaya (Pali)
Therevada Buddhism
The Middle Length
Discourses of the Buddha
3. The Hinayana scriptures
(Sanskrit)
Therevada Buddhism
The Agama Collections of
Buddhist Discourses
4. The Saddharma-pundarika Sutra
Mahayana Buddhism
The Flower Sutra
5. The Amitabha Sutra
Mahayana Buddhism
The Amitabha Sutra
6.The Vajra Paramita Sutra
Mahayana Buddhism
The Diamond Sutra
7. The Shurangama Sutra
Mahayana Buddhism
The Shurangama Sutra
8.The Mahaprajna Paramita Sutra
Mahayana
Buddhism/Zen
Buddhism
The Heart Sutra
9. The Lankavatara Sutra
(Sanskrit)
Mahayana
Buddhism/Zen
Buddhism
The Lankavatara Sutra
10. The Sixth Patriarch‟s Sutra
(Chinese)
Mahayana
Buddhism/Zen
Buddhism
The Six Patriarch‟s Dharma
Platform Sutra
Table 3: Essential Buddhist Sutras of the Three Vehicles
These sutras are essential and very important in Buddhist practice. That is the reason the author
of this paper suggests their names should be translated into English so that ordinary people can
understand the sutras and this helps them perform their Buddhist practice in their daily lives.
Practical solutions to translation problems and Buddhist online resources for translators
Establishing guidelines to have good translations
To evaluate whether translated works of Buddhist texts are good or not good, translators or
interpreters need to follow established translation guidelines from which they can follow and
evaluate their Buddhist text translations (Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2018). Perhaps we
can design our own guideline for our own organization to follow or we can adapt a guideline that
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has already existed. Here is one of the guidelines that we can use to evaluate our translated
Buddhist texts from our native languages into English or vice versa.
The following principles are taken from the seven principles designed by the Buddhist Text
translation Society for their translators. We can use them as reference when translating Buddhist
texts.
1. Translation should be done through consensus
2. Translation should be accurate or exact
3. Translation should be understandable
4. Translation should encompass many interpretations
5. Translation should be done with joy and devotion
Establishing translation committees to check and double-check translations
Buddhist texts, especially sutras are considered “holy” or “sacred”, therefore, translators can
apply the suggested five principles and setting up translation committees to check translated
works. These committees will serve their professional translation purposes to assist translators in
producing the best quality translations.
1. Primary Translation Committee
2. Reviewing Committee
3. Editorial Committee
4. Certifying Committee
These four committees work harmoniously to bring out the best translations to Buddhist readers.
These committees work like academic committees or editorial boards of research journals that
carry out their reviewing processes. These committees will provide good recommendations to
translators, particularly to newcomers in their translation process. It will be best to check and
double-check translations to produce reliable Buddhist texts as Sangha communities and laity
communities will use their texts in their daily practices. Committees can work well if they have
reviewers of bilingual languages who can have sound knowledge of the source language and the
target language working in pair for the reviewing process.
Useful resources for Buddhist text translation
Web resources for Buddhist background knowledge
Resources for East Asian Language and Thought (http://www.acmuller.net/)
Translating the words of the Buddha (http://84000.co/new-collaborator-the-kumarajiva-project/)
Buddhist text translation society (http://www.buddhisttexts.org/free-sutras-amp-shastras.html)
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Buddhist dictionaries and books
http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/BuddhistDict/BDIntro.htm
Pali-English Dictionary (http://www.buddha-vacana.org/toolbox/dico.html ) or
(https://urbandharma.org/pdf/palidict.pdf)
Buddhism A-Z dictionary (http://www.buddhisttexts.org/ebook---buddhism-a-z.html)
Buddhist Digital Dictionary (http://www.buddhism-dict.net/)
Free Buddhist E-books (http://www.buddhisttexts.org/ebooks-library.html)
These Buddhist links relating to dictionaries are very useful resources for translators to look up
words that do not often exist in normal dictionaries available at bookshops. To enrich resources,
my recommendation to resolve the vocabulary or technical terms when translating Buddhist texts
is that from these dictionary links, translators and interpreters can search for more useful links
available on the Internet and share them in translators‟ personal websites or blogs. Interestingly,
translators can build their own handbooks or their own Buddhist dictionaries because not all
recommended dictionaries or resources available online can meet their own translating work.
Video and audio lectures on Buddhist studies
Video and audio lectures or Dharma talks are available and usually free for use on the Internet.
Videos or audios relate to Dharma talks for different schools of Buddhist studies. Depending on
Buddhist traditions and Buddhist texts, translators can select useful online Dharma lectures to
listen to, gain background knowledge and enrich Buddhist terms as well. Followings are some
useful links to Dharma talks I often listen to that help me understand more about different sects
of Buddhism and learn Buddhist vocabulary as well.
Ajarn Sumedho (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq01gTot7IU);
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2JVgsrQLzU)
Ajairn Mathieu Ricard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbLEf4HR74E)
BTTS (http://www.buddhisttexts.org/free-dharma-talks.html)
Buddhist symbols, animals and mythical creatures
When leading tourists to Buddhist temples in Theravada, Mahayana, or Vajrayana traditions,
translators and interpreters can see many symbols, animals and mythical creatures displayed.
Curiously, visitors ask translators and interpreters working in this case as tour guides what they
are, which meanings they convey in Buddhism, and some mythical creatures that look very odd
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to visitors. All questions should be satisfactorily answered if translators and interpreters have
knowledge of these things. Below is a link that can help translators and interpreters.
Here are some common inspiring Buddhist symbols and their meaning found in three schools of
Buddhism
Photo 8: Swastika
Photo 9: Dharma wheel
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Photo 10: Bodhi leaf
Photo 11: Lion
Photo 12: Elephant
17
Photo 13: Bell
Photo 14: Buddha‟s footprints
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Photo 15: The circle of enlightenment
Photo 16: Lotus
Photo 17: Meditation beads/Chanting beads
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Photo 18: Parasol
(Source: Buddhist symbols. Link: http://www.buddhistsymbols.org/)
Following this link above, translators and interpreters will have an opportunity to understand
better different symbols and their interesting meanings.
Table 4: Buddhist symbols, Buddhist objects, and their meaning
Buddhist symbol
Meaning
Buddhist
vehicle
Swastika
The oldest Buddhist symbol on Earth. It
is a symbol of peace, good luck and
positivity.
Three
Buddhist
vehicles
Dharma wheel
representing Dharma, Buddha‟s
teaching
Three
Buddhist
vehicles
Bodhi leaf
is heart-shaped and exudes a bright and
lilting energy. Bodhi leaf speaks of
playfulness and thoughtfulness.
Three
Buddhist
vehicles
Lion
a symbol of royalty, strength and
bravery. The Buddha‟s voice is often
called the “Lion‟s Roar,” roaring out the
Dharma for all to hear.
Three
Buddhist
vehicles
Elephant
In Asia and Africa, elephants are
deemed sacred. They are symbols of
beauty, power, dignity, intelligence and
peace. The white elephant was
significant in the Buddha‟s birth.
Three
Buddhist
vehicles
Bell
Since ancient time, temple bells have
summoned monks and nuns to
Three
Buddhist
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meditation and ceremonies. The ring of
the bell is a symbol of the Buddha‟s
voice.
vehicles
Footprints
They represent the teachings of the
historical Buddha Shakyamuni and His
continued presence of Earth.
Popular in
Theravada
Buddhism
Circle of enlightenment
(also called “Enso”)
It is a circle to express a moment when
the mind is free to let the body creates
Mahayana
Buddhism
Lotus
A symbol of purity and enlightenment
Mahayana &
Theravada
Buddhism
Meditation beads/
Chanting beads (Also
called “Mala”)
A symbol of connectedness. We are all
living beings together. One cannot exist
without the other. In Pure Land
Buddhism, Buddhist practice chanting
with Mala recommended by the
Amitabha Sutra to create positive
spiritual energy.
Popular in
Mahayana
Buddhism
Parasol
A symbol of royalty and protection
Theravada
These symbols are popular in Buddhism and translators or interpreters may across and be asked
their meanings. Understanding meaning of these symbols and objects can help much
translators/interpreters in translating Buddhist texts as well.
In sum, these key online /digital resources links can help translator reduce difficulties in
translating Buddhist texts to some extent. Hopefully, from these highly-recommended sources,
translators of Buddhist texts will browse more links that further assist them in their translation
work.
Pedagogical Implications for Schools/Buddhist schools
Stemming from the fact that translators and interpreters have problems when translating their
Buddhist texts into the target language, the author of this paper suggests:
A Buddhist text association in the Asia-Pacific can be formed to provide a platform for
translators and interpreters to exchange ideas, hands-on experiences and useful digital
resources to the regional translation communities or regional translation networks.
Scholars from different vehicles or different schools of Buddhism can publish their
guidebooks or dictionaries for translators and interpreters‟ translation work, especially
books on technical terms in the field of translation and interpretation studies.
Academic schools or Buddhist institutes can open Buddhist translation courses or
programmes that widely accept students from the public. By doing this, students can gain
good background knowledge of different schools or traditions of Buddhism and if they
are competent, they will become professional translators or interpreters in the field.
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Conclusion
Although translating Buddhist texts is interesting, not many translators and interpreters have
enough confidence to perform their tasks well. There are great advantages in the 4.0 industrial
era which provides good digital free resources and useful information for translators; however,
translators, particularly newcomers, still face difficulties in doing their translations. Useful
resources and established translation societies for Buddhist texts are needed as well as
professional translation committees which serve reviewing Buddhist texts in the Asia-Pacific
region are also big demands to assists translators overcome challenges and produce high quality
Buddhist text translations serving local people in this region.
References
Apple, J. B. (2014). Chapter 5: Buddhism in Tiben History. In The Wiley Blackwell Companion
to East and Inner Asian Buddhism.
https://www.academia.edu/5657745/Buddhism_in_Tibetan_History
Archives, B. (2003) Methodology for Translating Buddhist Texts. Retrieved from
https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/transmission-of-
buddhism/methodology-for-translating-buddhist-texts
Archives, B. (2019). Buddhist symbols. Retrieved from http://www.buddhistsymbols.org/
Buddhist Text Translation Society (2003). A Brief Introduction to Buddhism. Burlingame,
California. Print.
Buddhist Text Translation Society (2018). Sutras and Commentaries. Retrieved from
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BIOGRAPHY
Nguyen Minh Trang
is a lecturer of English at Binh Duong University, Vietnam with over 32 years teaching English
as EFL at college and university level in South Vietnam.
His research interests are CBI, online education, academic listening, discourse analysis, and
translation and interpretation. In the field of Buddhist studies, he has fulfilled a 2-year course in
Buddhist distance education organized by Vietnam Buddhist Association. Currently, he is
working a volunteer translator for some Buddhist temples in Vietnam as a senior translator
whose duty is editing Buddhist texts, books and DVDs translated from Vietnamese into English.
Email: nguyenminhtrang@hotmail.com