Module 6: Cultural turn in translation
  Lecture 22: Publication of Translations in India
 

 

English as Unifying Language

All these publication details ironically show a reality that we Indians have to face – English is effectively the link language that ‘unifies' India. The translation scene in India is vibrant today, but it is only the English translation that is booming. Regional languages that do not get translated into English seem to be suffering for that. Kothari cites the example of Gujarati. Indira Goswami, the Assamese writer was given the Jnanpeeth Award in 2001. Rajendra Shah, a prominent Gujarati writer was short-listed for the award. The Gujarati literary world felt that the award eluded Shah because his works had not been translated into English and was generally unknown at the national level. Goswami, on the other hand, had several English translations which made her a prominent name in the national literary scene. Paradoxically, it is felt that to be recognized as a writer at the national level, you have to be translated into English and not Hindi. While Hindi translations might fetch some recognition in the north of India, to be appreciated across the country we still need English in India today. So in that sense, the governmental initiative, especially through the Sahitya Akademi, to unify the country through translations has misfired. The country is knit together through translations, but through the medium of a foreign language. This unfortunately is not because of literary reasons, but because of commercial reasons like salability and visibility. So the translation publication scenario in India today gives us cause to rejoice and despair at the same time.

Assignments

  1. Why do some languages and texts get more prominence in translation in India?
  2. How many translations of other Indian languages have you read in your mother-tongue? Evaluate the reasons thereof and arrive at an understanding of the cultural politics behind this.

References

Kothari, Rita. Translating India: The Cultural Politics of English. Delhi: Foundation Books, 2006.

Paniker, Ayyappa. Ed. Making of Indian Literature: A Consolidated Report of Workshops on Literary Translation 1986-88. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 1991.