Challenges of Translating Cultural Terms in Jumla: A Nurse Story

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the challenges in translating culture-specific terms in Jumla: A Nurse Story, the
English rendition of Radha Poudel’s acclaimed Nepali narrative Khalanga Ma Hamala. The study critically
examines how the translator has dealt with culturally loaded words, ecological references, social customs,
material objects, and administrative terminology in the context of Jumla, a remote district in Nepal. Drawing
on key translation theories by Peter Newmark, Juliane House, and Clifford E. Landers, the paper analyzes
various translation techniques such as adaptation, deletion, neutralization, interpolation, and functional
equivalence, and their effects on meaning, tone, and cultural authenticity. The translated text is examined for
fidelity to the original’s emotional intensity, cultural embeddedness, and narrative flow. Particular attention is
given to problematic translations, such as the misrepresentation or omission of Nepali ecological and religious
terms. They often dilute the source text’s richness. The paper concludes that while the translation successfully
bridges linguistic gaps, it also compromises cultural integrity in certain areas which is relevant for translators,
cultural theorists, and scholars working on Nepali literature in translation. It aims to contribute to the growing
body of research on literary translation and cross-cultural communication, especially from minoritized
languages to English.