1/20 Those who know me know translaton is my big passion. And that I love Orwell. A few years ago, I started translating Orwell’s ANIMAL FARM. I got permission from Orwell’s estate @TheOrwellPrize and was joined by a bunch of people on Facebook. It was the most enormous fun.

2/20 We agreed to honour the main Shona variants in the dialect, so some animals speak in Manyika, others in Karanga, some Zezuru, and others Slang. So of the pigs, Squealor is Manyika, Major is Karanga, Napoleon and Snowball Zezuru. The narration is in neutral Standard Shona.

3/20 Here is part of the first chapter, which I translated myself with Tichashe Muchuri. As you see, "Meja" speaks in the Karanga variant. Next week, I will post a section of Squealor speaking in Manyika, and the sheep speaking in Slang, so you see what we tried to do.

4/20 Meja akasimudza izwi. “Munhu ndochisikwa chega chodya pachisina kurima. Haaburisi mukaka, haakandiri mazai, isimbe risingagoni kubata badza, haagoni kumanya zvekuti angabata shuro; asi anozviita Mambo wemhuka dzose.

5/20 Masimba edu ndoanorima vhu, ndove yedu ndoyokodza vhu, asi hapana mumwe pakati pedu anowana kudarika Munhu.

6/20 Zvokwadi makomuredhi ndodivudzai kuti bwupenyu bwedu ndobwemhando ipi? Ngatisareverana nhema: bwupenyu bwakagozha. Bwupenyu bwedu ndebwesekete, ndebwekushupika, ndebwekushandiswa, vuye bwupenyu bwufupi-fupi.

7/20 Tozvagwa, topiwa zvekurya zvishomananazvo zvokungoti tikwanise kurarama, tisafe nezhara. Vamwe vedu vanoshanda, vanofondoswa kusvikira simba rese rapera, vuye patohwi hatichagoni kushanda tovurawa zvisina nyasha.

8/20 Hapana mhuka imwe chete mese muno muHingirandi yadarika gore inoziva kuti chii chohwi rurafo, chii chohwi kudekara. Hapana mhuka muHingirandi yese inoziva chohwi rusungunuko

9/20 Imi n’ombe muri kudzeya pamberi pangu, zviuru zvingani zvemagaroni emukaka zvamakaburisa gore rapera? Chii chakaitika kumukakawo unofanigwa kumwiwa nezvimhuru zvenyu kusvikira zvave zvigondora zvozvitungira? Donhwe rese zvaro remukaka iwoyo rakamwiwa nemhandu yedu.

10/20 Nemi vana huku. Makakandira mazai mangani gore rino, vuye mazai mangani amakakandira gore rino akatsotsonywa kuita hukwana? Mamwe ose akaindiswa kumusika kuitira kuti Jonasi nevamwe vake vawane mari.

11/20 Newe Clover iwe, zviripi zvihachi zvako zvina zvinofanigwa kudai zvirizvo zvokubatsira nekukudekadza panguva yekukwegura kwako? Mumwe nemumwe wevana vako wakatengeswa achine gore rimwe rekuberekwa, vuye haumbofi wakavaonazve.

12/20 Kunyange zvazvo bwupenyu bwatinorarama bwuchihwisa vurombo, habwutendegwi kuti bwusvike bwega pabwofanigwa kugumira. Kana ndirini zvangu, handinyanyogunun’uni sezvo ndiri mumwe wevashoma vakawanigwa nyasha.
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13/20 Hamuvoni here makomuredhi, kuti zvese zvakashata muvupenyu bwedu zvobva kuvudvanyiriri bweMunhu? Chingobisai chete Munhu, munovona kuti zvese zvesimba redu zvinenge zvave zvedu. Nezuva rimwe chete chairo tichafuma nekusungunuka. Saka chii chatofanigwa kuita? Zviri pachena!

14/20 Tofanigwa kushanda siku nesikati kusvika takunda Munhu! Ndoshoko rangu kwamuri makomuredhi. Chimurenga! Handizivi kuti chichavuya riini. Chogona kuvuya vhiki rovuya kana kuti makore mazana anotevera, asi chandoziva ndechekuti zuva richavuya chete richabisa vudzvanyiriri.

15/20 Isai meso enyu ipapo, makomuredhi, bwupenyu bwenyu bwese! Mosvitsa zvekare shoko rangu irori kune vachakuteverai, kuitira kuti vachavuya mangwana vagwe hondo yacho kusvika tazvitonga.

16/20 “Makomuredhi, musakangamwa kuti mofanigwa kuramba makashinga. Musabvumira kuti nharo dzikukanganisei. Musaterera kana vachikuvudzai kuti imi neMunhu mune chinangwa chimwe chete, kana kuti kufuma kwake kufuma kwenyuvo. Idzo inhema!

17/20 Munhu ndindingoveni kani! Ane chinangwa chekungozvivonera iye ega. Pakati pedu mhuka ngapave nevungano nevushamwari muhondo yedu yekuzvitonga. Vanhu vese imhandu. Mhuka dzese makomuredhi.”

18/20 Achingodaro, pakava nezhowezhowe. Mazikonzo mana ainge abuda mumwena ndokugara akateerera. Imbwa dzikati pamuka nyama, zvokutoti dai makonzo asina kuita chitsoka ndibereke, angadai akatoenda kuna taisireva. Meja akasimudza zondo remberi achideedzera runyararo.

19/20 “Makomhuredhi”, akadaro Meja, “Pano paita kanyaya kanofanigwa kugadziriswa. Mhuka dzesango, dzakaita semakozho neshuro, ishamwari dzedu here kana kuti imhandu dzedu? Ngatiite sarudzo tivone kuti mopavonavo sei. Ndoda kuvhunza sangano rino kuti: makozho makomuredhi here?”

20/20 Sarudzo dzakagamuchigwa pakarepo, ruzhinji rwukatenderana kuti hongu, makonzo makomuredhi. Paiva navana chete vakati kwete, imbwa nhatu dziya pamwe nekiti, iyo yakazoonekwa mumashure kuti yaiva yavhotera mativi ose, kwekuti hongu nekwekuti kwete.