A critical look at translation problems in the akanisation of the 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana

Abstract

Research in the field of translation within Ghana has mainly focused on religious and literary translation without paying attention to other fields of translation such as legal translation. With the increasing demand for justice for all people, there is a need for every language group to have the constitution in their own language. In view of this, this study examined translation problems in the Akanisation of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana. The study focused on translating chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. It further looked out for some associated lexical and grammatical translation problems. The study employed the Dynamic Equivalence Theory as a framework for translating the chapters of the constitution. It discusses and explained how some words were translated and other grammatical issues encountered. The findings revealed that translation is not just about finding equivalence in the target text but achieving audience response. It was noted that the whole constitution of the Republic of Ghana can be translated into a Ghanaian language although there may be some translation problems. This study serves as a foundation for translating the entire 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana into Akan and other Ghanaian languages. It concluded that translators should be fully and consciously aware of the communicative and grammatical competence of the languages they engage their translation works. The study has implications for translation course designers at all levels to be aware of the need to introduce more translation courses into their curricula by paying keen attention to translation theories.