Basic Tibetan Learning Class – Fall Semester 2023
With Yungdrung Norbu
Tuesday, Sept 12 to Nov 28th
Pacific Time 7am-8am
The Basic Tibetan Learning class for this semester consists of lectures over a three-month period. Each lecture is one hour long. Students will learn basic Tibetan. This class will provide an opportunity to learn reading of a Tibetan text, grammar, building vocabulary and the structuring of simple sentences. We are creating an opportunity for all who are interested in learning Tibetan. In this class we will focus on basic ingredients of learning Tibetan and improving reading from the basic level which will be most appropriate for the beginner who already has a basic knowledge of the Tibetan alphabet, vowels etc. We will learn vocabulary and how to make simple sentences. Each class will leave you with the opportunity to improve your level of reading, writing and comprehension of Tibetan texts.
Thus, this Semester will be one of the best opportunities if you want to learn and improve your basic knowledge of the Tibetan language.
Prerequisite; the student must have a basic knowledge of Tibetan, such as the alphabet and vowels.
Translation Class – Fall Semester 2023
With Yungdrung Norbu
Thursday Sept 14th to Nov 30th
Pacific Time 7am-8am
In this session we are planning to teach basic translation from Tibetan into English. The Translation Class consists of lectures over a three-month period. Each lecture is one hour long. This semester involves defining and translating the text, translating each word, sentence structuring, understanding the Tibetan text, and its conceptual translation. We are focusing more on the basic level that deals with the definition of the words, understanding of the text and translating it into English. Our efforts will be to focus more on the Tibetan section because when the concept is clear regarding the source-text, it will provide more opportunities to select a more appropriate text and choice of words during the translation process.
Therefore, in this session we will continue the Elegant Sayings on the Gradual Path by Kundun Sonam Yungdrung. In the last session we already covered a few topics and will carry on from where we left off. To prepare, students will need to read those texts again and again. When we deal with verse translation it is very important to be clear about the concepts. Once we are well aware of the source-text, it will be easier for us to translate it into the target language.
We will continue the text Elegant Sayings on the Gradual Path because the author used a very simple and easily understandable language. It carries the deep meaning and profound insight of Bon-teaching. Along with the translation we will obtain a basic awareness of Bon-teaching as well.
