Intercultural dialogue: reorienting Ghanaian languages and terminology for sustainable development

Abstract The world is becoming more heterogeneous, much like a mosaic of different shapes and colors. Linguistic rights, including the right to one’s own language in legal, administrative, and judicial acts as well as in education, are enshrined in international conventions. Yet some languages are disadvantaged. There is a wide gap in terminology between English as an official language and indigenous Ghanaian languages such as Akan. This lacuna is particularly felt in translation within the borders of specialized domains of health, law, trade, and so forth. Akan may not be a typical minority language, but rather disadvantaged. Multilingualism and intercultural dialogue are key to achieving sustainable development. Using the Theory of Doors and Baker’s translation strategies, this paper examines how the terminology gap is managed in translating health-related texts from English into Akan through an English–Akan parallel corpus. Data for the corpus was collected from governmental and non-governmental agencies. Neologism, cultural substitution, and borrowing seem to be common translation strategies for a diverse audience. The study highlights the need for interdisciplinary approach to healthcare, training in terminology management, and strategic engagement of speakers of minority languages for inclusive growth.