Rachélle Gauton

The Zulu locative prefix ku- revisited: a corpus-based approach

This article re-examines the distribution of the class 17 locative prefix ku- and its variants kwi- and ko- in the locativisation of nouns in Zulu. To this end an electronic corpus of 5 million running Zulu words—the University of Pretoria Zulu Corpus (PZC)—is queried. We indicate how PZC can be used to highlight previously under-emphasised and overlooked aspects of a seemingly well-documented language feature such as the class 17 locative prefix ku-. Analysing the output proffered by PZC—an organic corpus that has been organised chronologically, and that consists of a number of sub-corpora stratified according to genre—enables us to reach conclusions regarding not only the frequencies with which the variants ku-, kwi- and ko- of the class 17 locative prefix are used, but also regarding the possible changes in use that these prefixes have undergone with time. We also show how these prefixes relate to each other in the different sub-corpora.

Translating technical texts into Zulu with the aid of multilingual and/or parallel corpora

Abstract The single biggest problem that translators have to contend with when translating from an international language such as English into a so-called minor language or language of limited diffusion (LLD) such as Zulu, is the lack of terminology in the majority of specialist subject fields. In this article we demonstrate how special-purpose multilingual and parallel corpora can be utilised as a translators tool in finding suitable term equivalents when translating technical texts into Zulu. Although translators working into languages such as, for example, English and French follow this methodology as a matter of course, it has (to our knowledge) not yet been shown how such a course of action may be applied to the African languages, and specifically to Zulu in this case.

Towards the recognition of a word class ‘adjective’ for Zulu

In this article it is proposed that a word class ‘adjective’, which contains the so-called ‘adjectives’, ‘relatives’ and ‘enumeratives’, be recognized for Zulu. Arguments are put forward indicating why none of the existing descriptions of the true nature and possible classification of these categories are adequate. The great similarities regarding the morphology, semantics, syntax and possible diachronic development of adjectives, relatives and enumeratives tend to support the theory that these categories belong to a single word class.

The transfer and ‘rehabilitation’ of culture in the Zulu translation of H. Rider Haggard's “Nada the Lily”

Abstract This article examines the transfer of culture in the translation of H. Rider Haggards Nada the Lily (1892) into Zulu by F.L. Ntuli as Umbuso KaShaka ‘The Reign of Shaka’ (1930). Nada the Lily is an intriguing work from the Zulu translators point of view, as it is written as if it constitutes a direct translation from Zulu into English of a tale of Zulu history as told by a fictional narrator who attempts to make the cultural elements in this tale accessible to 19th century English readers. In the Zulu translation, Umbuso KaShaka, these cultural elements are ‘rehabilitated’, i.e. they are restored to their original (authentic) form, function and significance, so that they truly reflect Zulu culture. The various strategies utilised by Haggard and Ntuli to achieve these disparate ends are investigated. The source and target texts are examined and compared at both macro- and microtextual level, and an attempt is made to determine the norms and constraints operating on these texts in the specific cultural and historical contexts in which they are found. The tertium comparationis constitutes aspects of culture such as proper names and terms of address, as well as the description of cultural artefacts, cultural institutions and cultural practices such as traditional religious practices, traditional healers and healing, witchcraft, etc.

The anatomy of a localization project in an African language—translating Windows XP into Zulu

This paper focuses on the nature of the localization of computer software into one of the previously marginalized South African languages and the problems and challenges inherent in this localization. The localization of Microsoft Windows XP into Zulu is presented as a case study. As the phase of the project dealing with the translation of the Windows XP user interface (UI) has already been completed, it is also possible to suggest a number of solutions to the issues raised or to advance mitigating strategies that could help towards the successful completion of future projects of this nature. The discussion centres on: • Issues of project management • Linguistic issues pertaining to the nature of both the source and target languages • The integration of translation technology The discussion is elucidated with actual examples encountered during the execution of this project. Even though software translation is often regarded as being repetitive and boring for the translator, this study shows that translating software into a language such as Zulu is an extremely challenging process, placing high demands on the translators creativity and ability to innovate.