The Importance of Literary Rhythm When Translating Psalms for Oral Performance (in Zulu)

Abstract

Poetry must be heard, and heard in a way that is pleasing and memorable. Much of the beauty and rhetorical power of poetry arises from prosody, that is, patterns of rhythm and sound. Rhythm is composed of four elements that work together to provide aesthetic and emotive strength. It is an important feature of both biblical and Zulu poetry, and thus the translator of psalms (translating into Zulu or any Bantu language) must pay attention to aural components of the source and receptor texts. A recent empirical study invited Zulu youth to participate in translating and performing three praise psalms. They learned the basics of Bible translation and poetics, including rhythm, and their translations show a sensitivity to Zulu poetry and music that makes them highly rhythmic and singable. The underlying understanding of "translating with rhythm" can be applied to other languages and is an essential element of translating biblical poetry.