Tropicalities

Magazine Section

Itranslates Popular

Books Into Fijian

the few Fijians who have anslated books from English to jian, Ratu Luke Vuidreketi, of ,ewa district, is probably the ible translator, and is certainly lost prolific. a Luke started translating in 1940, and has since trans- Gulliver’s Travels in Lilliput, :rd Kipling’s Jungle Books, ess D’Orczy’s The Scarlet rnel, M. Yahub Khan’s Golden of Islam, and The Elusive rnel and I will Repay. rt from the works translated ; Methodist Mission, these are nly books available in the language, Ratu Luke told me ly. He is now translating The By Lloyd C. Douglas, ussing difficulties of trans- Ratu Luke said: “The main m is that we haven’t got i words in the Fijian lan- English is so deep, wide and But in the Fijian translation ijians can understand some deeper than English-speaking s in the English language.

Fijian words convey more to ijian mind than the English lents convey to English s. may be said by some people linds are limited by environ but the Fijian can still under what he reads, especially

Christian teachings and principles, because they suit his life and en vironment which is related to Christianity, and is more suited than the Western environment.

“Fijian life is simple, and so a Fijian’s mind is receptive. He is more ready to accept and apply Christian teachings in his life than is the advanced European. Fijians are not politically-minded. They don’t know about party politics and don’t want to know.”

It was mainly due to this assess ment of his own people that Ratu Luke decided to translate The Rohe which he is translating in weekly instalments of about 2,000 words published in a Fijian-language newspaper. About two-thirds of The Robe have now been published in this way, and it will eventually appear in book form. He is already planning to translate Lloyd C.

Douglas’ sequel, The Big Fisherman.

Ratu Luke Vuidreketi was educated entirely in Fiji, and spent two years at Queen Victoria School.

He served in the Solomons and the Philippines during World War 11, and attended the Victory Parade in London. He is 40, married, with three children. — JACK THORNTON.

Conversation A La Mode

WAITING on Madang airstrip for Qantas plane to Wewak, I wandered into a hangar, sat down on an empty case, and lit a cigarette (probably breaking several regulations. It’s amazing how many regulations there are in the flying business since DCA bought into the game).

At the back of the shed, punctuated by the occasional tap of a hammer on metal, I could hear a couple of voices in conversation.

Presently they grew louder —they had walked over closer to where I was sitting: “No, honest, Bill, if it wasn’t for that damn car, I’d get married to-morrow. But, look, I’ve paid a deposit on the damn thing.

Mind you, I like a car, and these new Holdens are really good. If I could afford both . . . but that’s the way it is. It’s just a toss-up whether I take the car or get married.”

“Hey, Jim, are you really dinkum?”

“What d’you mean am I really dinkum? Of course I’m dinkum!”

“You are? Right! Well I’ll make you a proposition—and I’m dinkum

too. I’ve got a new Holden—brand new and paid for—it came off the Malekula last night. I’ve got a wife too —I’ve only had her six months.

Well, you take over the wife and I’ll toss the car in buckshee. Now don’t say that’s not fair enough!”

At this point my plane touched down, and I had to leave rather

hurriedly.-

Peter England.

Ratu Luke Vuidreketi.