The taboos attached to the translation of biological terms from English into Northern Sotho

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the taboos attached to the translation of biological science terms into Northern Sotho, a language whose scientific register is not as developed as that of English. It is expected of the translator to translate the terms in such a way that the readership for whom the translation is intended will not feel offended by the terms used. This however, sometimes poses problems since the use of certain biological terms may be seen as undermining the cultural values and norms of Northern Sotho speaking people. To highlight the problems as perceived in relation to the use of biological terms, human physiological terms, when translated into Northern Sotho, will be discussed.