A Study of Language Problems and Techniques of Translating Historical Documents from Chinese to Thai

Abstract

This research aims to study language problems and techniques of translating historical documents from Chinese to Thai. The research methodology employed examined the problems that arose through the process of translating records about the Lanna Kingdom selected from 25 books containing 169 texts from ancient Chinese documents. The research results are presented by dividing the translation problems and proposing solution techniques into seven issues: 1) The problems with transliteration or transcription, 2) The issues of finding and comparing the date and time of an event, 3) The difficulty with researching places that appear in historical documents, 4) The difficulties with organization names, nobility titles, and area names, 5) The issue of determining the authenticity of the original documents, 6) The problem of text interpretation, 7) The question concerning the meaning of language hoarding. These issues prompted the guidelines for translating historical documents from Chinese to Thai; thus the translator should: 1) make a description in the form of footnotes or explanations at the end of the translation, 2) emphasize accuracy rather than language art, 3) use a precise translation system, in both the transcription and word usage, 4) review the original documents so they are as complete as possible, 5) possess the relevant manuals, 6) search for historical documents and other relevant documents in order to review the accuracy and create footnotes or explanations.