A Survey of the Yoruba-English Translation Skills of Secondary School Students in Ogun State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Yoruba idioms, Culture, Communication, Interpretation, English classAbstract
Language and culture are Siamese twins that share the same heart.
Yoruba idioms form a large window for showcasing culture through
communication and by their interpretation into English language which
is not only a central language in Nigeria but also the leading
international language. This study investigated the knowledge of
Yoruba idioms among Yoruba-speaking secondary school students in
Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. It also examined their
ability to properly give a contextual interpretation to the idioms in
English language. It also looked into the possibility of employing the
English language itself as a metalanguage to revive and teach proper
interpretation of Yoruba idioms into English language. Data collected
from twohundred teachers and a focus group of fifty students
wasanalysed using the chi square statistics and the descriptive survey
method. Findings show that students have a poor knowledge of Yoruba
idioms and they cannot properly interpret the few they know into
English language. This already endangers a linguistic feature of the
Yoruba culture. Recommendations include the use of modern
technology and the English class in the promotion and the
interpretation of Yoruba idioms into English language.