Narnia speaks Hindi now

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Mini Kurien tells us that while working on a 4,000-page critical survey of Indian literature for Macmillan, she found that at least 1,000 texts mentioned in the comparative Indian literature volume were not available in English translations. Roy adds: “I think translations do pretty well — but it depends very strongly on the individual book, just as with the original works’ market. Actually the average Indian is far more open to the idea of reading in translation than, say, the average American; and there’s also a growing diaspora market for works in translation from various Indian languages.”

“Translation should be paced up — from Bhasha books to English and vice versa,” agrees Sukumar. “Our literature from all bhashas should be translated more and more and sent out into the world.” Dharmarajan says we need to take pride in our backyard productions. “Raising the quality of literary translation, putting the names of translators on the covers of books, giving equal fees to writer and translator and giving translators equal space in the bionotes have helped,” she asserts.

Challenges ahead

Translations face a myriad of challenges. For instance, as Kurien points out, some of our languages are more than a 1,000 years old, and it takes great care to move their meaning into simpler languages that have no equivalents for our complex kinship terms or caste hierarchies or religious prejudices and so on. Once you take the culture of English readership into consideration, Kurien says what you have “is a compromise, a negotiation, a constant juggling. Successful translations straddle two worlds. It isn’t a matter of two languages but two encyclopaedias.”

Dharmarajan points out that the editing of bhasha stories in translation needs a range of professionals, including dedicated and creative editors. “Unless the Indian government promotes translations in a big way — as do other countries like Ireland — and unless academics take translation seriously — again as in other countries — to translate, comment, critique, teach, translation has a bleak future,” she says.

“You must be both fluent in both languages and be a terrific editor to be a good translator,” adds Pande. And Kannan exclaims, “When I see a translator from English who does not translate phrases literally, I am sold.”