Developing Professional Standards for Literary Translation from Yoruba into English in Academic Settings

Literary translation from Yoruba into English for academic purposes occupies a space between linguistics, cultural studies, and literary art that requires professional standards adapted specifically to the Yoruba literary context, yet no comprehensive standards currently exist for translator training, annotation practice, or quality review in academic publications. This study developed professional standards for literary translation from Yoruba into English specifically for academic comparative literature settings. A professional standards development methodology was employed, combining structured interviews with 12 Yoruba literary translators and scholars, review of ten recently published academic translations of Yoruba literary texts, and comparative analysis of professional standards from Welsh, Catalan, and Swahili literary translation contexts. The review identified four consistent gaps in current academic Yoruba-English translation practice: insufficient orality cues in translated text, loss of tonal meaning in poetry translation, inadequate annotation of cosmological and ritual references, and absence of translator reflection sections in published work. The professional standards framework developed addresses six domains: linguistic and cultural competency thresholds for translators, annotation depth and style standards, tonal and rhythmic correspondence guidelines for poetry translation, quality peer review protocols, citation and attribution conventions, and translator reflection and context essay requirements. Sample annotations from Fagunwa and Olatunde Olapade translations are included as models. Expert review by eight scholars confirmed the standards' appropriateness. The study recommends adoption by the Yoruba Studies Association and literature journals publishing Yoruba work, particularly those at institutions in the South West zone.

Keywords: Yoruba-English translation, professional standards, literary translation, academic publishing, South West Nigeria