The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has produced a dictionary of agricultural terms in an effort to increase and maintain agricultural vocabulary.
This is without a doubt a valuable contribution to efforts to raise agricultural awareness and writing in South Africa.
To assist those working in agriculture, this dictionary contains words written in English, isiXhosa, and Afrikaans.
Many agricultural writers, particularly those who write in their native language, struggle to explain a word or a set of words. Many agricultural terms contain information about agriculture science, plant or animal health.
Words like Akile, which is translated from English and Afrikaans, are explained in isiXhosa in this dictionary. Because it is written only in English, young farmers should not struggle to find the right words to describe things.
Many times, knowledge derived from Black farmers who speak a language such as isiXhosa loses interest in knowledge derived from English. Writing information in English simply means that the reader cannot change certain things properly.
The language used in agricultural communication slows the development of young farmers, particularly Black farmers.
Words used in agriculture on a daily basis, such as vaccination, are spoken or written, and the lack of meaning in other languages makes it difficult for farmers to work and grow.
Non-English-speaking farmers make poor decisions that harm their agricultural growth due to a lack of translation of words like this. This dictionary contains words that discuss medicine, the amount of medicine, and the different types of medicine so that farmers can make these decisions.
Any information delivered to a person in a language other than their native tongue is the same as if they did not receive it. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture should be commended for this initiative, because the children of isiXhosa-speaking farmers will benefit from this information.
It is time for other provinces in South Africa to follow suit and promote the development of the people’s language by speaking and spreading it. The majority of farmer meetings, conferences, and congresses are held in a language that Black farmers do not understand.
If isiXhosa-speaking farmers can use this dictionary, they will be able to succeed in their work of producing food and growing on a regular basis.
Because the Eastern Cape is the home of the isiXhosa language, it should be taken seriously as long as other languages are not left behind.
The Eastern Cape now has agricultural high schools, a university, and colleges, among other things. Agricultural students study agricultural science written in English, which causes them to miss out on knowledge because of the language barrier.
There are few or no words that provide a clear explanation of agricultural science knowledge to Nguni speakers. This translation contains some errors in the definition of some words. But, without a doubt, these are commendable efforts that can be combined to point the way forward.
Amawele angamagqirhakazi aziwa njengeeNkonjane zooFaku azicelela iivoti