УДК 811.133.1’255 SRI LANKAN LITERATURE IN FRENCH: A CASE STUDY ON ROMESH GUNESEKERA’S REEF/RЙCIFS H.S.M.M. Jayawardena University of Kelaniya Kelaniya, University of Kelaniya, Gampala, Sri Lanka, 11600 samanthi125@gmail.com In 1994, British Sri Lankan writer Romesh Gunesekara's debut novel Reef, was short listed for the Booker Prize. <...> Reef was translated into French as Rйcifs (Serpent а plumes, Paris) by Marie-Odile Fortier Masek in 1995. <...> The present paper examines the French translation and the strategies used by the translator. <...> The text chosen for the present study Rйcifs is set in Sri Lanka. <...> Sinhala terms are often used by the author in the original: exclamations, terms of address, swear words, food items, religious terms, species of flora and fauna and also terms such as ‘men’ and 'no?' — the popular question tag used in Sri Lankan English. <...> The object of this study will be whether the translator preserves the Sinhala terms and/or the English terms typical of Sri Lankan people in the French translation. <...> Rйcifs, similar to the original, does not offer footnotes or a glossary to explain Sinhala terms. <...> Respecting the culture represented by the source text, Fortier Masek does not attempt to translate Sinhala words into French. <...> However, it is worth noting that certain expressions in English are translated. <...> The translation of the question tag ‘no?’ by using different expressions raises concerns and is discussed in detail. <...> Written in English and published in the West, literary works of the writers of Sri Lankan origin such as the Booker Prize winner Michael Ondaatje, Romesh Gunesekera and Shyam Selverdurei are translated into various languages. <...> Among the translated novels, Ondaatje’s Running in the Family, Gunesekera’s Reef [5], Selvedurei’s Funny Boy are more significant as they discuss Sri Lanka as a theme. 48 Jayawardena H.S.M.M. Sri Lankan Literature in French: A Case Study on Romesh Gunesekera’s. <...> His style of writing presents many challenges to the translator and makes the translation an interesting study. <...> The present paper discusses how the translator overcomes these challenges and the strategies used to translate Sinhala terms. <...> See: References for full bibliographic details <...>