Fresh from my success updating my Pali grammar dictionary and creating a Markdown version of the Tipiṭaka in Brahmi script, I am now ready to tackle the next challenge: my own translation of the Tipiṭaka into English.
I’ve only just started, so I have translated just 10 suttas so far, all from the first vagga (group) in SN2 - Buddhavagga.
For example, this is my translation of Paṭiccasamuppādasutta (dependent origination):
What is so special about my translation and does the world really need another translation into English?
Well, the world does not need another translation, but I do. I have been dissatisfied with all the existing translations, mainly because they are inconsistent with how they translate Buddhist technical terms, and I wanted to be absolutely clear which technical terms have been used in the sutras.
So my approach is different in that I try to translate as naturally as possible, and avoid using “Buddhist Hybrid English.” I leave all the technical terms untranslated (but I provide parentheses showing what the meaning of the word in the context of the sutra is). This way I get the best of both worlds, I leave all the technical terms alone but I can also indicate what the contextual meaning of the terms are in each sutta.
For each translation, I provide a summary, the original text in Brahmi, my translation, and a commentary expressing my thoughts on the sutta.
Obviously I understand this is a massive task. At this stage I am not committing to translating the entire Tipiṭaka, only the bits I have an affinity to. I am starting with SN because that is a good place to start. I may do bits of AN or the Abhidhamma but I’ll probably avoid DN or MN.
I’ll see how much I get done before uni starts, after that you probably won’t hear from me for the rest of the year as I’ll be busy teaching.