Tibetan Language

Interested in learning Tibetan or deepening your existing Tibetan language skills? Below is a set of resources to support you. We offer two tracks: modern/colloqiual Tibetan for those who plan on traveling or spending a longer period of time in India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Tibet; and classical written Tibetan for study and practice.

TIBETAN BUDDHISM  |  ZEN BUDDHISM  |  GENERAL BUDDHISM

BOOKS ON CLASSICAL AND MODERN TIBETAN

ON TRANSLATING TIBETAN

Translating Buddhism from Tibetan
with Sarah Harding and Larry Mermelstein

In our second On Translation video series cosponsored with the Tsadra Foundation, we are pleased to share this recording of Sarah Harding (Naropa University and the Tsadra Foundation) & Larry Mermelstein (Nālandā Translation Committee).

This session is for any student, practitioner, or translator of Tibetan Buddhism and is an opportunity to enter the world of translators of the Buddhadharma with two of the most experienced Tibetan translators. Most people encounter the Buddhist teachings through translations of texts, so like it or not, the translator is indispensible. However, translators are not always appreciated and many debates about style and approach still rage on. Students and practitioners engaging in the Tibetan language will be especially interested in this dialogue with Sarah and Larry as they discuss their lives as full-time translators and address three critical topics: literal versus creative translation (or “dharmanese” versus idiomatic); group translation under a lama or in relative isolation; target audience: restricted or scholarly translations.

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Padmakara's Wulstan Fletcher on the Translation Group's Approach

 

A lightly edited except on the English translation of "compassion":

"'Compassion' will work up to a point depending on the text we are translating.  But compassion and nyingje are not really equivalents at all.  'Compassion' means the ability to suffer with somebody.  Whereas the "je" part of nyingje has this connotation of a heroic intolerance of the suffering of others and the decision to put an end to it.  And that's ok for a large portion of texts, but when you get into Dzogchen, you find ngowo rangzin thukje (the honorific of nyingje).  The Tibetan word is exactly the same, but translating it as 'compassion' does not work at all, in any sense of the word. Because originally thukje or nyingje  had this feeling of "the lord of the heart' or  'lord of the mind' or the 'supreme element of the mind' which it has right through the different levels of teaching.  But when it comes to "ngowo tongpa rangzhin selwa thukje mengagpa, or "untrammeled compassion", it means rigpa selwa, the creative expression of the nature of the mind.

READER'S GUIDE

A Guide to Tibetan Language Learning Programs

As interest in Tibetan Buddhism and the Buddhist canon has grown significantly throughout the past few decades, today it is possible to study Tibetan language (both Classical and Colloquial) through several different programs around the world. The following guide represents some of the programs available for Tibetan language study today.

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How to Start (or Perfect) Tibetan

Interested in learning Tibetan or deepening your existing Tibetan language skills? Below is a guide to help you choose the right resources for your needs. We offer two tracks: one for those who plan on traveling or spending a longer period of time in India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Tibet; and another for those who are focused on classical written Tibetan for academic or practice purposes.

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WORKSHOPS

Translating The Way of the Bodhisattva

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An insider's view of translating one of the most important texts we have.  Padmakara Translation Group's Wulstan Fletcher discusses the text with University of Colorado professor Holly Gayleyfocusing on the translation of the text itself and how a master translator approaches such a daunting and challenging masterpiece. With a rich background of language expertise, deep knowledge of both Buddhist traditions and Western religion, and, most importantly, extensive involvement in Buddhist practice, Wulstan weaves his own experiences as a translator in with his interaction with the Bodhicharyavatara, specifically. They also discuss issues related to translating classical Sanskrit texts into Tibetan, by detailing the challenges of style, word choice, and considerations of audience—all while referencing different translations (Wallace, Crosby/Skilton, Batchelor, Eliot) to demonstrate how certain choices were made. Wulstan will share how the Padmakara Translation Group used Khenpo Kunpel’s commentary to inform their translation and discusses the complexities of presenting the text in English in a way that elevates the text rather than diminishes it.

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EVENTS & COURSES

Sangye Khandro: The Art and Craft of Translating the Dharma

Sangye Khandro: The Art and Craft of Translating the Dharma

Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 10:00am-11:30am MDT |

ARTICLES

A Guide to Tibetan Language Programs

A Guide to Tibetan Language Programs

A Guide to Tibetan Language Learning Programs The modern Tibetan language derives from the 7th-9th century Old Tibetan and is spoken by 6 million people in the world with over 200 dialects. Primari...

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Padmakara Translation Group Receives the 2017 Shantarakshita Award

Padmakara Translation Group Receives the 2017 Shantarakshita Award

At the June, 2017 Tsadra Translation and Transmission conference which Shambhala Publications was a sponsor of, we were delighted that Wulstan Fletcher and Helena Blankleder were honored with ...

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Tibetan Language Reader’s Guide

Tibetan Language Reader’s Guide

Reading or Translating Classical Tibetan The following materials are geared for those wanting in-depth study of the written language of Tibet, including the classical and literary.  These were all...

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Denma Tsemang the Translator and Calligrapher

Denma Tsemang the Translator and Calligrapher

See Also:  Profiles of early Indian Mahayana figures | Tibetan Masters of the 8th Century | Tibetan Masters of the 10th-11th Centuries...

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