Abstract:
This study falls under the discipline of translation studies, which may sometimes be referred to as applied cultural
linguistics. The aim of this study is to critically analyse linguistic challenges encountered in translations between
Zimbabwean Xichangana/Xitsonga and English. In this study a qualitative approach is employed. The instruments
used for data collection are interviews and document analysis. Thematic content analysis was employed to analyse
the data. The theoretical framework which was taken into consideration is the linguistic theory since the focus of
this study is on linguistic matters in translation. What gave rise to this research is the observation that many official
documents in Zimbabwe are written in English and then translated mostly into either Chishona or isiNdebele, while
formerly marginalised languages such as Xichangana are neglected. In fact, where translations are done into these
marginalised languages, they are abridged versions of the original documents which are translated in full in the
formerly so-called national languages. As a result, translation work in this language still lags behind and shows that
there are still some linguistic challenges. This paper therefore seeks to find solutions to these challenges and to
improve the quality of translations involving this language.
