TRIKĀYA སྐུ་གསུམ།
TIBETAN TRANSLATION RESOURCES
Top Quality Translations from Tibetan, Japanese, Sanskrit & Many More Asian Languages.
Study Tibetan with a Translator: Online Courses in Tibetan Buddhist Texts, Classical Tibetan & Colloquial Tibetan.
International Group of Translators Dedicated to Transmitting Ancient & Modern Buddhist Literature.
We offer top quality services in
textual translation, oral interpretation, language classes, editing, research, consultations, and more.
TRANSLATION SERVICES
TIBETAN LANGUAGE COURSES
TRANSLATION COMMITTEE
For weekly classes, payment is made once per week, on a weekly basis.
For course packages, payment is made in advance, on a prepaid basis.
All courses are available in the following subjects of study:
Classical Tibetan
Colloquial Tibetan
Modern Literary Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Tibetan
Tibetan Translation Training
We also offer the following special training tracks:
Colloquial Tibetan Conversation Training
Buddhist Philosophy in Tibetan Training
Reading Sūtras in Tibetan Training
Chanting in Tibetan Training
All classes are held in live sessions with the teacher.
Class sessions are arranged according to your schedule.
Full upfront non-refundable payment before the beginning of the course.
PAYMENT
How to Pay for the Courses
All courses are to be prepaid in full.
Courses are to be prepaid before starting classes, and after signing up for the course.
The full payment for each course must be sent in advance before the beginning of the first class, after registering for the course.
Please make sure to cover all transfer fees.
For PayPal payment, in order to avoid transfer fees, please select “For Friends and Family” before sending payment. Doing this usually eliminates transfer fees. If this is not possible, please include an extra 5 percent of the total bill in order to cover transfer fees.
PayPal is the preferred mode of payment.
Contact us for Paypal payment details.
Other methods of payment (non-Paypal), such as Wise or direct bank transfer, are also possible. Please contact us for other payment options.
Payment should be made in the currency of United States dollars (USD).
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Important information about our Tibetan language courses.
How long does each course take to complete?
How long each course takes to complete is primarily determined by the number of class sessions per week. Therefore it all depends on how many class sessions are taken on a regular basis. For example, with 4 class sessions per week, students can complete any given course much faster than with only 2 class sessions per week. How many class sessions are taken per week is chosen by the student, according to their own schedule and preference.
How many class sessions am I allowed to take per week? How long are the class sessions?
Students may choose to take up to 5 class sessions per week, depending on the teacher’s schedule. This comes to 5 to 10 hours per week of total class hours. Classes are available in both 1 hour and 2 hour sessions. The price is charged per hour.
How many class sessions do you recommend taking per week? How many total class hours should I take per week?
No fewer than 2 class sessions per week is recommended for most students. This comes to 2 to 4 class hours per week, depending on the length of the class session -- both 1 hour and 2 hour sessions are available. Ideally, 3 or 4 class sessions per week is best for optimizing one’s study (3 to 8 class hours/week). Most students take 2 to 4 class sessions per week (2 to 8 class hours/week). For more intensive study, 4 or 5 class sessions per week is recommended (4 to 10 class hours/week).
What is Colloquial Tibetan?
Colloquial Tibetan is the modern spoken language, which is spoken by nearly all Tibetans and many non-Tibetans in the Himalayan region. There are four main dialects of Colloquial Tibetan, divided according to region: 1) Ü-Tsang dialect or Central Tibetan, spoken in Central Tibet in the regions of Ü and Tsang. 2) Kham dialect or Eastern Tibetan, spoken in Eastern Tibet in the region of Kham. 3) Amdo dialect or Northeastern Tibetan, spoken in Northeastern Tibet in the region of Amdo. 4) Refugee dialect or Diaspora Tibetan, spoken in the Tibetan exile community, primarily in India, Nepal and Bhutan, but also among many first-and second-generation Tibetan immigrants in Europe and North America. Refugee Tibetan is mainly based on the Ü-Tsang dialect (and typically shares many features with Lhasa Tibetan), but has some influences from the Kham and Amdo dialects, as well as many loan words from Hindi and English. Within each of these dialects are further "subdialects" which are quite distinct, such as Lhasa Tibetan (a variety of Ü-Tsang dialect), Derge Tibetan (a variety of Kham dialect), Golok Tibetan (a variety of Amdo dialect), and Dharamsala Tibetan (a variety of Refugee dialect). Central Tibetan or the Ü-Tsang dialect is generally considered to be the most "standard' form of Colloquial Tibetan. Sometimes the Lhasa subdialect in particular is considered the standard by which spoken Tibetan should be measured. The position of Central Tibetan as the de facto Tibetan lingua franca is the general consensus among the relevant governmental bodies, Western scholarship and the Tibetan community itself. However, this may sometimes be more an issue of social predominance and political power than preference. Central Tibetan/Ü-Tsang dialect is therefore sometimes referred to as 'Standard Tibetan' or 'Standard Colloquial/Spoken Tibetan'. Amdo dialect or Northeastern Tibetan diverges the most from Central Tibetan i.e. the Ü-Tsang dialect, so much so that it is sometimes considered to be a separate language (even though it shares the same literary language). The dialect which is primarily taught in our courses is Ü-Tsang dialect or Central Tibetan. Refugee Tibetan and Lhasa Tibetan can also be taught and are referenced in the classes.
What is Classical Tibetan?
Classical Tibetan is the standard literary language from antiquity (originating in the early 600s CE), which is still in use today for religious purposes. Most Buddhist texts, both ancient and modern, are written in Classical Tibetan. Classical Tibetan is not a "dead language",. It is usually not spoken outside religious contexts, but it remains the basis and ultimate reference point for the current literary form of Tibetan language (known as Modern Literary Tibetan), as well as the standard for general literacy. It is also sometimes known as "Dharma Tibetan". Most students of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as academics, primarily study Classical Tibetan, in order to read or translate Buddhist texts. The subject "Buddhist Texts in Tibetan" mostly consists of texts written in Classical Tibetan.
What is Modern Literary Tibetan?
Modern Literary Tibetan is, as the name implies, the modern literary form of Tibetan language. It is not the same as Classical Tibetan, but is primarily based on it. It also includes some aspects of Colloquial Tibetan. It includes many new words and modern terminology, some of which are translated from other languages. Although there are numerous styles of Modern Literary Tibetan which vary greatly depending on the genre, Modern Literary Tibetan could generally considered to be comprised of roughly 50 percent which is taken directly from Classical Tibetan, 25 percent derived from Colloquial Tibetan, and 25 percent modern terminology, neologisms and imported words. Most texts from the 20th and 21st centuries, aside from Buddhist or other religious compositions, are written in some form of Modern Literary Tibetan. This includes media, official documentation, academic publications, news, history, political works, biographies, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and other literature. The process of modernization of literary Tibetan language has greatly increased since the early 1960s, and today most English and Chinese terms, including words from the modern fields of science, have been translated into Tibetan, many of which are in active literary and colloquial usage. Extensive research and publication efforts by Tibetan scholars has led to the adoption of Tibetan versions of all the most important terms from other languages, English and Chinese in particular. Therefore it is now possible, on the basis of these modernization efforts, to translate any modern text from any language into Modern Literary Tibetan.
Get in Touch with Trikaya
For translations from Trikaya Translation Services:
For Tibetan courses from the Trikaya Tibetan Language Academy:
trikayatibetan@gmail.com
For inquiries regarding the Trikaya Translation Committee:
trikayacommittee@gmail.com
Phone number: +40 769 824 828, +91 988 270 1227 (WhatsApp, Line)
