Tamil Nadu   

Lexicographers hold key to quality translations

— Photo: S. Thanthoni

Professor V. Murugan

This mild-mannered, soft-spoken lecturer becomes passionate while discussing his favourite subject – the need for bi-lingual dictionaries. The proof pages of his translation of Tamil Sangam poetry, ‘Nattrinai’, lie open on V. Murugan’s desk in Presidency College, as he talks at length about existing English-Tamil bilingual dictionaries and the need for lexicographers. The English lecturer tells J. Malarvizhi about his critical survey of dictionary making in Tamil Nadu that brought home the urgency of the issue.

“A dictionary is an important source text for language study,” he says. Having translated the ‘Tolkappiyam’, the ancient Tamil treatise on grammar and literature, and the Sangam poetry collection, ‘Kalithogai’, he speaks with authority on translation theory and bi-lingual dictionaries.

The principal challenge for quality translation is the absence of scholars well versed in both English and Tamil. The problem is exacerbated by the absence of quality dictionaries.

Madras University publications - the Tamil Lexicon in seven volumes and the English-Tamil dictionary - and the Crea Contemporary Tamil Dictionary are the only important institutionally produced dictionaries currently. Of these, the last includes only words that have been in use after the 1950s. Most other private productions are of low

quality, he says.

Though reprinted in the 1980s, the Lexicon presents material that is at least 80 years old and, often, incomprehensible, he points out. Of the 1.24 lakh words in the Lexicon, some 30,000 are explained with words that make no sense to contemporary readers.

The English-Tamil Dictionary gives the meanings of ‘arrest’ in Tamil as ‘to hold up’ or ‘halt’ with no mention of ‘taking into police custody’.

“Oxford dictionaries are revised every five to seven years. Two of the most important dictionaries available to us have material that is close to a century old. The English–Tamil dictionary is based on the 1951 edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, which was based on a 1911 edition,” he says. There is an absence of lexicographers – or people who compile or write dictionaries – for the Tamil language.

He has helped to remedy the lack in some measure by compiling an e-dictionary that is soon to be published on paper. He has also contributed significantly to an English-English-Tamil dictionary to be brought out by Oxford.

“The material was ready long ago but is going through a rigorous process of editing. Such rigour is absent in the other productions of Tamil dictionaries,” the professor finds.

Retirement is due in a few years for Mr. Murugan, who has worked in the Presidency College for 18 years and in Nandanam Arts College for 10 years, besides a few years in rural colleges as well. Meanwhile, his post-doctoral research on ‘Lexicographic Practice in Tamil’ is making its impact felt: the Madras University has taken up revision of its Lexicon on the basis of his evaluation.

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