Translation makes the language rich in style
Consider the Indian plethora of languages and its great literary giants! Unfortunately, we know only a few Indian authors these days because they write in English.
It is said that the more you share, the richer you grow. This adage cannot be more true than in the case of literature in translation. Some of us may turn our nose aside from translated literary works by considering them ‘non-original’ or saying ‘lost in translation’ but we cannot ignore a good translated work for its great literary value.
First of all, you must agree that it is a herculean task to learn all 7000 (approx.) languages of the world. Even if I learn seven languages, I will miss the rich literary heritage (oral or written) of thousands of other languages! Translation helps us exactly there.
Leave alone the world. Consider the Indian plethora of languages and its great literary giants! Unfortunately, we know only a few Indian authors these days because they write in English. Some of us may have known Tagore or Premchand (their works widely translated) but many are unknown to us as their works are not available in ‘good translation.’
Language may seem a barrier to us but we can easily bridge the gap with translation. We can inspire our Gen-Z+ for reading more translated works, especially the regional ones. If those are not available, can we not inspire our future generation to translate regional masterpieces and make it easier for others to taste the ‘real India’?
We often forget that translation itself is a gem of literature in any language. It makes the language rich in style, vocabulary or even culture. Have you ever imagined if the great Indian epics were not translated, how would we have known about them? If you argue that original authors are always the best, I will remind you that an original author may be efficient in only one language but a translator is efficient equally in more than one!
Shovan Sarkar
Delhi Public School, Nacharam
(shovan@dpssecunderabad.in)
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