Ideograms - Ideawords
Thai & Chinese languages are context driven whereas European languages are structurally driven. Thus Thai words are seen as being functionally equivalent to Chinese characters.
Hence Thai is good for reflective purposes but not for legal or technical applications, whereas Western languages are good for legal and technical purposes, though not for reflective ones.
Therefore the need for much writing & rewriting by many different adepts in Western languages for a given translation of an original reflective tract in Thai.
Thus enabling the Western reader to realise the wealth of meaning in it & also to break him out of the accurate though restricted conditioning of the Western intellectual tradition: something not at all necessary for the traditionally inclined Oriental.
For a more complete discussion of this fascinating topic see Bhikkhu ~Naa.namoli's introduction to his translation for: “The Guide” (NETTI PPAKARA.NA'M according to Kaccaana Thera), Pali Text Society, 1977.
No comments:
Post a Comment