By NashMir Russian Translator Auckland

03/20/2017 All About the Treaty of Waitangi / Все о договоре ВайтангиThis article is reprinted from our blog on the NashMir Website.

This is part of the NashMir translation of the treaty of Waitangi we prepared as part of the Treaty Times Thirty project. It differs from the final version in some details because a modern legal document such as a treaty is produced as a collaborative enterprise. In this case the NashMir version was compared to four other Russian translations and the translators agreed on on a final draft. This draft was then sent to an independent Russian academic for final editing and proof-reading.

Executive translator Natalia G described the process of working on this translation as a privilege and honour, "to show my appreciation of New Zealand and its people".

Here is the opening Russian text. For comparison we have written the modern English translation below.

Виктория, королева Англии, стремясь защитить вождей и племена Новой Зеландии и желая сохранить за ними их права и земли, и для поддержания мира и порядка, а также потому, что многие ее подданные уже поселились на этой земле, и другие продолжают прибывать, сочла необходимым назначить управляющего для ведения переговоров с жителями Новой Зеландии и получения согласия вождей на установление Королевской власти над всей этой страной и (прилегающими) островами.
Поэтому Королева желает создать правительство так, чтобы никакое зло не могло произойти с маори и европейцами, живущими в условиях беззакония.
В связи с этим Королева назначила меня, Уильяма Гобсона, капитана Королевского Флота, быть Губернатором всех частей Новой Зеландии, как тех, которые будут переданы Королеве сейчас, так и тех, которые будут переданы впоследствии, и предлагает вождям Конфедерации объединённых племён Новой Зеландии и остальным вождям изложенные здесь законы...

Victoria, the Queen of England, in her concern to protect the chiefs and the subtribes of New Zealand and in her desire to preserve their chieftainship and their lands to them and to maintain peace and good order considers it just to appoint an administrator one who will negotiate with the people of New Zealand to the end that their chiefs will agree to the Queen's Government being established over all parts of this land and (adjoining) islands and also because there are many of her subjects already living on this land and others yet to come.
So the Queen desires to establish a government so that no evil will come to Maori and European living in a state of lawlessness.
So the Queen has appointed me, William Hobson a Captain in the Royal Navy to be Governor for all parts of New Zealand (both those) shortly to be received by the Queen and (those) to be received hereafter and presents to the chiefs of the Confederation chiefs of the subtribes of New Zealand and other chiefs these laws set out here...

We hope that this publication in an ancient language such as Russian helps to promote mutual enrichment and understanding between the many cultures that make up the tapestry of our world.

Author: Stephen Galvin is an English Editor and Consultant writing for Nashmir Russian Translation Service in Auckland.
Email: office@nashmir.net
Website: www.nashmir.net

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