Literary translation

Translation is an ancient literary activity caused to survive the most ancient literatures in India like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Now translation has gained a particular place in Indian Literatures in English, because the rising contact with native Indian languages has proved to be one of the inevitable activities and parts of any language literatures in India. Let us take a recent example of the world’s celebrated biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson published in English, and at same time more than 60 other languages including Marathi. This stated how translation became the tool of transformation of literatures in English. Hence it is significant to take a review of Indian translation literature.

Literary translation makes the world literary aware and takes the literature available in the regional world. The classics from all the countries are being translated in the Indian languages and some foreign languages too.

A translator must be able to understand and appreciate the text in its original form, and then may use the resources of a writer e.g. the style, tone, diction, word choice, grammar, imagery, and idiom, to name just a few, to create a new version of the work that provides this experience to readers in the new language. The translators must understand the many varied contexts of the text, its time period, geography, and style and how those contexts affect translations for readers who are in different contexts. Just as a double agent will likely make compromises in his or her work, a translator must strike a balance as a text is ushered from one language into a new one.

A literary translation is the translation of literature such as novels, plays and poems. The translation of literary works is considered by many one of the highest forms of translation as it involves so much more than simply translating text. A literary translator must be capable of also translating feelings, cultural nuances, humour and other subtle elements of a piece of work.

The relevance of vernacular language literature and translations in India has been in talk of the town owing to Indian novelist Geetanjali Shree’s Hindi novel Ret Samadhi, which was recently translated into English as Tomb of Sand by Daisy Rockwell and won the prestigious International Booker Prize in the last month. This comes at a time when the publishing industry has just witnessed a resurrection in promoting translation. Publishers have realized the value of translations and have begun to invest in their promotion.

The time is changing

Even a few years ago many publishers were doubtful to invest money on translations, claiming the possibility that they would not be appealing to the global readers and hence would not be consumed internationally and subsequently become a commercial failure. The translation scenario in India has definitely improved, owing to the concentrated efforts of various people and organizations. Whereas Indian languages like Bengali, Malayalam, and Tamil, has a greater number of translations into other regional languages as well as English, many other Indian languages require on-going support to bring their literature to the larger audience. Translation became an equally important part of the publishing vision as you can’t run your business in the publishing industry in a country like India, with is a multicultural as well as multilingual nation without publishing translation. The media exposure and prizes that regional authors are receiving have greatly aided in bringing these wonderful, captivating literary works to the attention of the people.

Why Choose Transhubb.com?

At Transhubb.com, we are proud to be one of India’s leading Literary Translation agencies, offering services in four languages. Our team includes expert translators, editors, proof readers, and quality managers, all dedicated to delivering top-notch translation services. With over 33 years of experience in the corporate world, we have the knowledge and expertise to help you select the right words to market and advertise your products.

We understand that every market is different, and how your information is presented matters greatly. That’s why we employ experienced in-country translators who are well-versed in the cultural nuances of the target market. Our collaborative approach with clients ensures that we deliver translations that are both accurate and culturally appropriate.

Once the translation is completed, our in-house DTP (Desktop Publishing) experts work on the layout to ensure the final product is polished and ready for distribution. We deliver the finished translations in electronic formats, making it easy for you to use them across different platforms.

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