English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
TRANSLATION or TRANSLITERATION?
I read the Yoruba ~transliteration~ of the Quran so I know about Islam (nonstandard).
I read the Yoruba *translation* of the Quran so I know about Islam (standard).
A translation is a piece of writing or speech that has been interpreted from a different language. Translation enables comprehension.
You cannot read the Quran with its phonological features when you read its ~translation~ (nonstandard).
You cannot read the Quran with its phonological features when you read its *transliteration* (standard).
To transliterate is to transcribe (a word, etc in one alphabet) into corresponding letters of another alphabet. Note that all of the letters of a language make up the alphabet of that language (not, alphabets). Transliteration does not guarantee comprehension.
A term similar but different from translation is glossing. To gloss is to give an explanation for a word or phrase. This is usually preferred for research purpose when representing data from one language to another.
GAB
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