What an English translation can lose from Māori people and relationships
Do not let English ‘we’ erase who participates
Māori distinguishes tāua, māua, tātou and mātou where English commonly uses we. Tāua includes the listener and refers to two people; māua refers to the speaker and one other person without the listener. Tātou and mātou refer to groups of three or more, respectively including and excluding the listener.
These boundaries can affect an English reader's actions. If a host is told about māua, the speaker describes a pair that does not include the host. Rendering that as ‘we both’ may preserve the number but still leave membership unclear. A short phrase such as ‘the two of us’ works when the surrounding exchange identifies the pair; otherwise name the participants where the text supplies them. Do not invent a companion to resolve the ambiguity.
Two people are not an unspecified crowd
Kōrua addresses two people, while koutou addresses three or more. Rāua refers to two other people, and rātou to three or more. English you and they can conceal those numerical distinctions. In a greeting, the loss may be harmless; in an allocation of seats or instructions to meet someone, it can matter.
Preserve the number where it affects the arrangement, using ‘you two’ or ‘both of them’ when natural. Avoid adding both to every English sentence simply because a dual pronoun appears in Māori. Once the two participants are clearly established, ordinary English pronouns may be sufficient. The aim is to retain useful information without turning a flowing conversation into a repeated explanation of its grammar.
Ia does not choose English ‘he’ or ‘she’
The Māori pronoun ia can refer to a male or female person. English may require a choice that the pronoun itself does not provide. A person's role as a teacher, driver or relative is not enough evidence to guess. Use the identified person or the preceding text; singular they is available when the referent remains unspecified.
The same caution applies to possession: tāna and tōna can both become his or her, but the a/o distinction concerns the relationship expressed, not a male/female division of owners. Do not infer a person's gender from that vowel. English normally expresses the possession without reproducing the Māori category, so a change of form need not imply a change of owner.
Keep names legible and correctly spelled
A Māori name embedded in an English sentence does not need its macrons removed to become English. Retaining the supplied spelling helps readers identify the same person, institution or place across the original and translation. Treat unfamiliar long vowels as part of the name rather than as formatting noise.
At the same time, do not automatically correct an individual's established name by applying the spelling of a similar dictionary word. Verify the particular name when a correction is needed. Ordinary Māori vocabulary retained in an English passage may need a concise explanation for its audience, while a name usually needs consistent identification. Those are separate editing decisions; deleting the Māori spelling does not accomplish either one.
Language references
Māori is listed by the provider as Te Reo Māori (language code mi). Source text reads left to right. Preserve original spelling, punctuation, and names when entering text.
The selected target is English (English; code en). The result is displayed left to right. If another script or regional variant is needed, select its separate entry in the language directory.