In 2011 FPMT Translation Services organized “Taking Up the Challenge of Translating Buddhism,” a translation and editorial conference that focused on discussing the future of translation within the FPMT. Since this conference, FPMT Translation Services has been working towards creating a coherent Tibetan to English translation policy for the organization in order to address a number of critical issues ranging from terminology and consistency to translation style.

Geshe Thupten Jinpa with Maitripa College students , staff and President Yangsi Rinpoche. May, 2015. Photo by Marc Sakamoto.

Geshe Thupten Jinpa, PhD, principal translator of His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 1985, visited Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, USA, May 10-12, 2015. While there, he spoke to Maitripa’s translation students about issues in translating Tibetan. His answers to students’ questions, which range in topic from importance of interpretative-communicative translation, the poetry of translation, as well as suggestions for future focus which are not only relevant to this current work, but also to translation in the more distant future, have been transcribed and edited by Maitripa student and Mandala contributor Donna Lynn Brown. 

What are the priorities and opportunities right now for translation?

Twenty years ago there were very few translators, but now there are a lot.  Are there enough? I don’t think so. There are still a huge number of texts needing to be translated. 

I would like to see a lot more instructional materials out there, including, especially, those of Gelug masters. At the moment, there are many Lam Rim texts, but a lot of Gelug practice texts haven’t been translated. Most of the “instructions on the view” (lta khri) genre still needs to be translated. An important one is Maitriyogi’s Instructions of Three Essential Points; instructions from this and associated texts are, at the moment, not in widespread use in Gelug circles. But if you look at the collected works of Gelug masters of the past, almost every major Gelug master wrote a guide on this particular practice. And it’s all instructions based on Avalokiteshvara, highest yoga tantra, as revealed by the mystical experience of Maitriyogi. These are very moving and powerful practices for the three essential times, which are waking life, bardo, and the point of death. Also, most of the Gelug Mahamudra textual tradition is still to be translated. My own translation focus to date has been more on Tibetan traditions as a whole, rather than Gelug works in particular. But there are specific Gelug instructional texts that need to be done. And some of these are very accessible, very inspiring, and one would be immediately able to practice them.

Geshe Thupten Jinpa speaking at Maitripa College, Portland, OR, May 2015. Photo by Marc Sakamoto.

What is necessary to produce a high quality translation?

I actually read the final product aloud, especially if it is a verse text. How does it sound? Because English is a very beautiful language. It is very versatile and has tremendous expressive capacity.  And not to be able to use the full resource that is available in English is a real tragedy. In the end you want to give the reader an experience that is joyful. Most of the Tibetan texts are written by good scholars who express themselves well. Especially if you are producing practice material like sadhanas, you really need to bring out that musical quality, because these are something people use on a daily basis. You want them to sub-consciously associate the text with joy. For practice material, you should bring in spontaneity, music and rhythm. That really makes a difference.

Evoking not just the same understanding but also the same emotion as the original might mean being inconsistent with translation equivalents.

That’s OK. Literalness defeats the purpose. I believe in the ability to arrive at a product where you do full justice to the integrity of the original text, yet at the same time respect the reader. You cannot just produce texts saying that this is what I think the author is saying; I don’t care whether you understand it or not. That’s sometimes what happens. It’s very unkind to the reader.

You have to translate some words differently in different contexts. Generally, it makes no sense to equate one Tibetan word with one English word. English has so many more words. If you try to translate one to one, you don’t use the full resource of the English language. For some technical terms, yes, having just one translation is best. But many verbs require several translations, such as bsgom, which can be meditate, cultivate, familiarize, or even ‘form a habit.’ Even within a single text, a word may be used slightly differently. Tibetan is very contextual. English has a broader vocabulary, and meaning depends less on context. Words have shades of meaning, and a good writer chooses the right word in the right context. For example, ‘dzin is to hold, to apprehend, and to grasp, and bdag-‘dzin I translate as self-grasping, because that catches the emotional sense. 

How should we work with Tibetan Lamas and Geshes when translating?

I don’t think there is much role for them in a translation, beyond helping with comprehension. That is what their role is really about. People who ground their choices of particular words in instructions from their Lamas face challenges. How can you invoke a Rinpoche’s authority regarding your choice of a particular English word if he doesn’t speak English? 

What kind of texts should we work on while learning to translate?

In learning to translate, it’s good to work on sadhanas. They test your ability to do a lyrical translation.  They are like movie scripts. Take a look at the Penguin edition of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, for which I was an editor: we tried to get that feel. And then try your hand at verse. Verse writing tests you. When I was doing The Book of Kadam, a large chunk of it in verse, I read Dante to inspire me.  It has those long lines and evocative language. I can only read it in translation, but if the translation of Dante speaks to me, then the translation of a poetic work into English should be able to speak to the reader (laughs). I read Dante, Rilke, and Rabindranath Tagore in translation, to get a feel for poetry.

When we practice, we may use translations that are imperfect, or in which the English words have the wrong connotations. How do we practice correctly given imperfect translations?

On the whole there is enough accurate material to eventually point out to you what is correct, unless you are going toward vajrayana practices; then it’s still quite complicated. Most general Buddhist ideas – there’s enough material out there.

Do you manage to find time for practice, along with your translation and other work?

I feel the yearning. But it’s one thing to have the yearning and another to act on it. There are practicalities to consider. At this stage of my life, I have responsibilities for my children, my wife. I’m also in a unique position because of my role and the contributions I can make, so it’s a struggle. But I still hope that at some point in my life I’ll be able to devote more time. The yearning is there. 

Geshe Thubten Jinpa is the translator and author of numerous books, including his recently published A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives. Geshe-la is also an adjunct professor at McGill University, Montréal, Canada, a core member of the Mind and Life Institute, and the founder and president of the Institute of Tibetan Classics. 

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