84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is creating a new community—our Give Each Month (GEM) Mandala—to celebrate recurring donors and recognize the importance of this giving stream in supporting our mission: to translate the entire Tibetan Buddhist canon for the open and curious, and to make it freely accessible for all, now and into the future.
Resources for
84000 Translators
Below are some templates and guidelines for 84000 translators and those preparing a grant application. These represent our conventions in terms of style and other technical issues and help to streamline the translation process and ensure consistency. They provide information about our aims and methods as well as our publication process. You will also find below our cumulative glossary and translation memory tools.
Translator Guidelines
The guidelines for 84000 translators are updated regularly,
and the latest version can always be found here.
84000 Guidelines for Translators
Our primary guide for translators, this document explains our guiding principles and approach and presents details regarding style and technical conventions, the preparation of ancillary materials, and our publication process.
84000 Guidelines for Translators—Checklist
Before submitting your work to 84000, please review this checklist as a quick reference to ensure that your translation complies with our primary technical requirements.
Text Critical Guidelines for Translators
An overview of some of the complex historical and textual issues underlying the study and translation of works in the Kangyur and Tengyur. This document provides guidance on conducting research and formulating a working methodology for a translation project.
Templates for Translators
Our template are updated regularly,
and the latest version can always be found here.
Template for introductions to shorter texts
A suggested outline for researching and writing an introduction to a shorter text.
Citation templates
Templates for notes and bibliographies and a collection sample bibliography entries.
Glossary template
A simple template for inserting glossary tables into a Word document.
Tools for Specialists
We are expanding and refining our Cumulative Glossary and Translation Memory search with every publication. These resources offer translators and researchers insights on individual terms as well as translation possibilities for longer passages.
Glossary Search
Explore the 84000 glossary search combining entries from the entire 84000 collection. The trilingual glossary, in English, Tibetan, and Sanskrit combines entries from all our publications into one useful resource, giving translations and definitions of thousands of terms, people, places, and texts from the Buddhist canon.
Translation Memory Search
Search our Translation Memory files to find translations aligned with the Tibetan source. You can use quotation marks, e.g., “realm of phenomena,” to search for complete phrases rather than individual words.
Translation Grants
Since 2011, 84000 has been awarding grants to translation teams around the world, allowing translators and scholars to work on this canonical literature full-time and help make our vision a reality.
Our grants catalyze the work of translators and scholars, so that together we can help keep traditional Buddhist scholarship and practice alive.
We are currently looking for experienced translators with specialized knowledge to translate texts from the Tantra and Dhāraṇī sections of the Kangyur.