Conclusion

This shows how translation is not a mere academic or scholarly exercise that connects two languages. It is also an exchange between two unequal forces and becomes the reflection of the complexity of the socio-cultural contexts in which they are rooted. This undercurrent of cultural tension that lies beneath the act of translation became a part of translation studies only after the ‘cultural turn' occurred. Translation theorists today are sensitized to the tussle of power that is discernible in politically innocent activities like translation.

Assignments

1. Evaluate the role played by your mother tongue in your daily activities in the workplace and domestic domains respectively. Which do you use more—English or the mother tongue?
2. How do the power dynamics between languages affect translation?

References:

Kothari, Rita. Translating India: The Cultural Politics of English. U.K: St. Jerome’s, 2003. rev ed. Delhi: Foundation, 2006.

Mukherjee, Sujit. Translation as Discovery: and other Essays on Indian Literature in English Translation. New Delhi: Allied, 1981.