The Declaration
of Independence in Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language): Translating the Declaration of Independence
was an interesting and difficult exercise. The Declaration is a living
document that is applicable not only to the United States but also
to other governments in the world; "tyrants" may not only
be Kings but also others who have ruled arbitrarily. I translated
the Declaration to allow the Malay speaking community to understand
better American political ideology and its relationship to U.S. domestic
and foreign policies. Translating the Declaration into the Malay
language inevitably leads us to consider some differences between
Malaysia and the United States. For example, Malaysia's constitutional
monarchy reflects the intertwining of democracy and monarchy, which
is a legacy of imperialism and is antithetical to most Americans.
In addition, Malaysian independence was gained through a peaceful
negotiation process with the British government rather than a Revolutionary
war. Finally, the reverse of tyrants to Americans is freedom but to
the Malays it is justice. And n a predominantly Muslim society like
Malaysia, notions of justice are shaped by Islamic laws. Translating any historical document is difficult
process, because it is easy to misinterpret words and concepts. The
Malay language is a rich language shaped by Malay political culture
and that culture needs to be considered in making translations. Sometimes
several different words could be chosen; at other times, there was
no one proper word. There was also a question of whether to choose
a Malay word over an English word that has been "Malayanised".
The word "tyrant" in a "Malayanised" version is
"tirani" which is much more specific whilst the Malay word
"zalim" or "cruel" is a general term which did
not reflect the true meaning of "tyrant." The most complicated part to translate was
the first, long paragraph. To simplify the paragraph, I divided it
into two sentences. "One people" was translated to mean
"one race" or in Malay "suatu bangsa". The framers
had used the words "we" and "us" at different
points of the Declaration and both these words have different meanings
in the Malay language and cannot be used interchangeably. Kami may
refer to either a large group which is impersonal in their relationships
or a small group with personal relationships. Kita or "us"
refers to only small groups sometimes with personal relationships
or a common goal. Initially, in an effort to be consistent, the word
"kita" was used throughout the passage, however, realizing
that the framers did mean it differently when they use "us"
and "we" in different parts of the document, appropriate
changes were made. Another difficult choice was translating the
references to the King. The correct address for the King being the
supreme ruler in Malaysia is "Baginda" or "His Majesty."
The Malay political culture emphasizes the sovereignty of hereditary
rulers. As the Declaration of Independence was written to oppose the
rule of the King and not to differentiate his status among the commoners,
the word "he" was chosen. In Malay it would have been "dia."
But the word "beliau" was chosen instead as a mark of respect.
Commentary by Shakila Yacob