From Oral Tradition to Written Word: Retrieving and Translating the Folktales of Calbayog City

Abstract

Folktales need to be preserved as historical artifacts for their importance in enduring and employing ethical, moral and social-cultural values, as well as cultural tolerance (Jenkins, 2002). Hence, this qualitative research aimed to retrieve and translate the local folktales of Calbayog City. Specifically, this study sought to (1) document the local folktales in the barangays of Calbayog City, and, (2) translate the gathered Calbayog Folktales from Waray-waray to English. A survey visit in selected barangays in the districts of Calbayog Proper, Oquendo, and Tinambacan was conducted by the researchers to identify eccentric native in the locality. The folklorosity guided questionnaire crafted by Damaina Eugenio (2007) was used in identifying the informants. A depth interview was conducted in collecting the accounts of folktales then, focus group discussion (FGD) method was conducted to test the authenticity and reliability of the accounts. After which, they translated the accounts from Waray-Waray (Source Language) to English (Target Language) using the various techniques of translation. Seventeen accounts of folktales were gathered consisting of legends, history, horror stories, myth and didactic stories. It is recommended that this compilation of folktales and translation be compiled for book production. Further, there are still more folktales in City of Calbayog, that were not able to be part of this collection, thus, another study of retrieval and translation must be done.