Uguqulelo lweelwimi luyibhanti elidibanisa iintlanga neenkcubeko ezohlukeneyo kwihlabathi jikelele. Xa sithetha ngoguqulelo olusuka kolunye ulwimi lwemveli lwesintu olufana nesiXhosa ukuya kolunye ulwimi olukhethekileyo lwase-Asia olufana nesiLao, sisinge kwindlela enomdla nezele yemiceli-mngeni. IsiXhosa silulwimi lwesintu oluthethwa kakhulu eMzantsi Afrika, kwaye saziwa ngesandi saso esikhethekileyo samaqabane anqonqozayo (clicks) kunye nesakhiwo saso esinekhonkco (agglutinative). Kwelinye icala, isiLao silulwimi olusemthethweni lwaseLaos, ilizwe eliseMpuma-Mazantsi ye-Asia, kwaye silulwimi lwetoni (tonal) nolusebenzisa unobumba waso okhethekileyo (Lao script). Eli nqaku liza kuphonononga ngokubanzi inkqubo, imiceli-mngeni, kunye namacebiso okuguqulela phakathi kwesiXhosa nesiLao ukwenzela ukuba uguqulelo lwakho lube loluchanekileyo noluhlonipha inkcubeko.
Ukuqonda Umahluko Wezobume Beelwimi: IsiXhosa NesiLao
Umahluko wokuqala kunye nowona ubalulekileyo phakathi kwesiXhosa nesiLao ulele kwisakhiwo kunye nendlela amagama akhiwa ngayo. IsiXhosa silulwimi lwesiBantu olusebenzisa kakhulu izimaphambili nezimamva (agglutinative syntax). Oku kuthetha ukuba igama elinye lesiXhosa lingaquka isenzo, isichazi, isikhonzi, kunye nexesha. Ngokomzekelo, igama elithi "ndiyazithanda" linezimaphambili ezibonisa umntu ("ndi-"), ixesha ("-ya-"), isikhonzi esichaphazelekayo ("-zi-"), kunye nengcambu yesenzo ("-thanda"). Oku kwenza ukuba isiXhosa sibe lilwimi elityebileyo ngegrama nesakhiwo sayo esinabileyo nesiguquguqukayo.
Ngokuchaseneyo noko, isiLao silulwimi oluhlahlelekileyo noluhlelwe lula (analytic language). Kwi-Lao, amagama amaninzi ane-silabule enye kwaye akakho phantsi kotshintsho lwesakhiwo segrama (no inflections). Akukho kuguqulwa kwezenzo ngokwexesha, isini, okanye inani njengoko kubonakala kwisiXhosa. Indima yexesha, isini, kunye nenani kwi-Lao iboniswa ngokusetyenziswa kwamagama athile ancedisayo (particles) okanye ngomxholo wesivakalisi uwonke. Le nkqubo yenza ukuba umguquleli afunde indlela entsha yokucinga ngendlela yokwakha isivakalisi ngaphandle kokuxhomekeka kwizimaphambili ezininzi ezidityaniswa egameni.
Isintaksi Nendlela Yokwakha Izivakalisi: Uhlobo LwesiXhosa vs. Uhlobo LwesiLao
Nangona zombini ezi lwimi zisebenzisa isakhiwo esisisiseko se-SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), indlela amanye amalungu esivakalisi abekwa ngayo iyahluka kakhulu. Kwi-Lao, iziphawuli (adjectives) kunye nezikhombisi zihlala ziza emva kwesibizo eziyichazayo, nto leyo efanayo nesiXhosa apho sithi "umntwana omhle" (isibizo esilandelwa sisiphawuli). Nangona kunjalo, isiLao sisebenzisa inkqubo ebanzi yezichazi-bume okanye abahleli (classifiers) xa kubalwa okanye xa kuchazwa izinto eziphathwayo. Oku kuthetha ukuba awukwazi ukuthi "izitulo ezibini" ngokuthe ngqo kwi-Lao; kufuneka uthi "izitulo ezibini + umhlanganisi wezinto ezisicaba" (flat objects classifier).
Kumguquleli wesiXhosa, le nkqubo yezichazi-bume kwi-Lao ifuna ingqwalasela enkulu kuba isiXhosa asisebenzisi luhlobo lwabahleli babalayo kodwa sisebenzisa izakhiwo zezimaphambili zezivumelanisi zeklasi (noun class concords). Ngoko ke, ukuhambelana kweklasi yezibizo zesiXhosa (ezifana neklasi 1, 2, 9, 10, njalo-njalo) kufuneka kuguqulelwe kwi-Lao ngokukhetha umhlanganisi (classifier) ochanekileyo ohambelana nohlobo lwento ekuthethwa ngayo, enoba yinto ephilayo, isilwanyana, isakhiwo, okanye isixhobo.
Ucelomngeni Lwethoni Nomphulaphulo Kwi-Lao
IsiLao silulwimi lwetoni (tonal language) elinamathoni amathandathu ahlukeneyo kuxhomekeke kwisithili okanye irejini. Utshintsho kwithoni yelizwi xa kukhutshwa isandi egameni lungatshintsha intsingiselo yalo ngokupheleleyo. Nangona isiXhosa nalo silulwimi lwetoni (sineethoni eziphakamileyo nezisezantsi), isantya kunye nendlela ithoni echaphazeleka ngayo kwisiXhosa yahlukile kwaye ayibhalwa phantsi ngoonobumba abakhethekileyo betoni njengoko kunjalo nge-Lao script.
Xa uguqulela umbhalo osuka kwisiXhosa ukuya kwi-Lao, kufuneka uqinisekise ukuba amagama akhethiweyo kwi-Lao abhalwe ngopelo oluchanekileyo olubonisa ithoni efanelekileyo yentsingiselo yentsusa. Ukuba umguquleli akakubalulekisi oku, umbhalo ongaseleka kwi-Lao ungathetha into ehluke ngokupheleleyo kwinto ebithethwa kwisiXhosa sentsusa. Oku kufuna ukuba umguquleli abe nolwazi olunzulu loonobumba kunye neempawu zetoni zesiLao ukuze kuthintelwe amaphutha anokudala ukungaqondani.
Igalelo Lenkcubeko Nendlela Yokulungelelanisa Uguqulelo (Transcreation)
Inkcubeko yamaXhosa ityebile ngamasiko, izaci, kunye namaqhina okuthetha ahambelana nobomi baseMzantsi Afrika. Xa uguqulela le miba kwi-Lao, ukuguqulela igama negama (literal translation) kudla ngokungaphumeleli kwaye kunokubangela ukudideka okukhulu. Inkcubeko yaseLaos isekelwe kakhulu kwiBuddhism kunye nendlela yobomi yasempuma ekhuthaza ukuzotha, intlonipho, kunye nonxibelelwano olungangqalanga.
Ngenxa yoko, izinto ezifana "nobuntu" kwisiXhosa, eziyintsika yentlalo yamaXhosa, kufuneka ziguqulelwe ngendlela ehambelana neengqondo neenkolelo zamaLao. Endaweni yoksebenzisa igama elinye elingamiselwanga miba, umguquleli kufuneka asebenzise inkqubo ebizwa ngokuba yi-Transcreation (uguqulelo oluyilayo). Oku kubandakanya ukulungisa umyalezo ukuze uhambelane nentsingiselo kunye neemvakalelo zabatheli baseLaos kodwa ugcine injongo nentsimbi yombhalo wentsusa wesiXhosa, ukuze umphumo ube ngathi ubhalwe kwangolo lwimi lwesamkeli kwasekuqaleni.
Amacebiso Abalulekileyo Koguqulelo Oselubala Nolufezekileyo
Ukuze ukwazi ukwenza uguqulelo olusemgangathweni olusuka kwisiXhosa kuye kwi-Lao, nantsi imigaqo nemisebenzi emihle emayilandelwe ngumguquleli:
- Kweba ukuguqulela igama negama: Gxila kakhulu kwintsingiselo yebinzana okanye isivakalisi uwonke kunokuguqulela amagama ngamanye.
- Sebenzisa izichazi-bume (Classifiers) ezichanekileyo: Kwi-Lao, qinisekisa ukuba isibizo ngasinye silandelwa ngumhlanganisi osifaneleyo xa kubalwa okanye xa sitsalwa ingqwalasela.
- Nika ingqwalasela kumanqanaba entlonipho: Ulwimi lwesiLao lunamanqanaba ahlukeneyo entlonipho (politeness registers) axhomekeke kwiminyaka, iwonga, okanye ubudlelwane phakathi kwabathethi. Khetha amagama afanelekileyo kuxhomekeke kumphulaphulo.
- Hlola unobumba waseLaos (Lao Script): Unobumba waseLaos awunamikhala phakathi kwamagama (no spaces between words). Izithuba zisetyenziswa kuphela ekupheleni kwezivakalisi. Oku kufuna ukuba upelo kunye nonxibelelwano lwamagama lube loluchanekileyo ukuze umbhalo ufundeke lula.
- Funda inkcubeko yomamkeli: Ukuqonda izithethe neenkolelo zamaLao kuya kukunceda ekukhetheni imifuziselo nezaci ezifanelekileyo endaweni yezaci zesiXhosa ezingenakho ukusebenza kuloo mmandla waseLaos.
Ukusebenzisa Itekhnoloji Kwaye Nokuhlola Umgangatho Woguqulelo
Kweli xesha langoku, kukho izixhobo ezininzi zoguqulelo ezifana ne-CAT tools (Computer-Assisted Translation tools) kunye ne-Machine Translation (MT). Nangona ezi zixhobo ziluncedo kakhulu ekukhawuleziseni umsebenzi, uguqulelo phakathi kwesiXhosa nesiLao ludla ngokuba nzima kakhulu kumatshini kuba ezi lwimi zombini azinazixhobo zaneleyo zedatha yeelwimi (low-resource languages) kwitekhnoloji yolwimi ehlabathini jikelele.
Ngoko ke, igalelo lomguquleli ongumntu (human translator) libaluleke kakhulu ukuhlola, ukuhlela, kunye nokuqinisekisa umgangatho (Quality Assurance) womphumo. Uguqulelo ngalunye kufuneka ludlule kumanqanaba amathathu afanelekileyo: ukuguqulela (translation), ukuhlaziya (editing), kunye nokufunda ikopi yokugqibela (proofreading) ngumntu othetha isiLao njengolwimi lwakhe lweenkobe ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuba isithuba nemigaqo seyilwe kakuhle ngokwendalo yolwimi lwesamkeli kwaye akukho ziphoso zezakhiwo zolwimi.