A NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION

Translation is a tough job calling forth efficiency in the languages attempted to. As every language has its own idiom, diction, syntax, grammar, nuances etc., full glory of one can not be transferred to another: More so, with regard to I, Sanskrit to any other language; particularly English, to say the least. Even transliteration poses problems. The reason is simple. Although English has attained the status of interplanetary language, as claimed by some, sadly enough it has a few consonants and fewer vowels, where as Sanskrit is extra-ordinarily rich in alphabet, and as such, each phoneme can be expressed with utmost ease and grace.

To obviate that difficulty faced, versatile pundits have introduced diacritical marks. Even then the complete sonority of Sanskrit speech sounds has not been achieved. Furthermore, the knowledge of symbols used is a MUST to the casual reader. Discerning the difficulty of reading the Romanised Sanskrit lies basically in the short and long vowels, some learned scholars have advocated an ingenious method of using diphthongs i.e. adding more than one vowel or, letter for one and the same sound, for that alone ensures correct pronunciation, and results in bringing out the full import of words. And, it is in consonance with the English spelling and pronunciation. Needless to add, it facilitates quick comprehension and full grasp intended. Some examples are given here under to illustrate the method used.

Readers are requested to follow the procedure for easy comprehension and pronunciation.

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