Gained in translation: How mastery in languages can be made a career

 

Demand for translating Indian language literature and nonfiction is expanding. Translation can’t be left To machines. (Adobe stock photo)

Writer Geetanjali Shree in May 2022 became the first Indian to win the International Booker Prize for her novel, 'Tomb of Sand', originally written in Hindi. The 50,000-pound prize money was split between Shree and her American translator Daisy Rockwell.

“A world without translation would be impoverished,” said Shree in an interview in New Delhi.

“We think of translation as a set of binaries – a journey between two texts, two languages, two writers, two places – but in actuality it is a continuum between these points,” Rockwell told the New York Times in June 2023. “Loss is the immediate outcome, and discovery occurs over the long term. Where does Geetanjali stop, and where do I begin? Are we one author, or two?”

India has two official languages (Hindi and English) and 22 scheduled languages, according to the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. Consider the world outside and translating literature and nonfiction becomes an immense career field.

Welcome to the world of translation which provides access to a different worldview and ethos. A lot of wisdom in the world of literature cannot be accessed simply because it’s not in the local language. However, the works of translation open a world of opportunity for people to learn and enrich themselves.

According to Swagat Sengupta CEO Oxford Bookstores, “Translation helps understand the world from which the literature is originating to a person belonging to a different world. It helps bridge gaps in thought process and also creates an environment where one might have a positive influence on another seamlessly.” He shares how most literature in foreign languages has been translated in English for the Indian reader. This is mainly because of the fact that these translations happened overseas and English is the biggest market in the world. Says Sengupta- “There have been sparse Original Indian English translations of foreign languages and it is now very recently that we have woken up to the fact and have begun the process of getting a foreign language work translated into an Indian language. However, one of the pioneers of getting a foreign language work translated to an Indian language was Munshi Premchand who apart from being a founder of modern Hindi and Urdu prose was an excellent translator. His translation of Tolstoy’s work into Hindi opened up to the entire Hindi readership of the world.”

Recently Oxford Bookstore, in association with The Long Night of LiteratureS, hosted a thought-provoking literary forum at the Embassy of the Czech Republic. This exclusive event, titled ‘Bridging Continents: The Interplay of Narratives and Translations between India and Europe’, brought together authors and publishers from Europe and India to explore the rich tapestry of literary connections between the two regions. Arunava Sinha, translator from Bengali to English shared at the event, “Every untranslated book is a gap that needs to be filled.” He added that more literary exchange was needed between cultures and for that more translators are required- not merely from English to Polish but even say Tamil to Norwegian or Bengali to Hungarian. He cited how as early as Tagore had translated TS Eliot's work of poetry from English to Bengali.

 

The Art & Science of Translation

Translation is not about technology and using Google translator. It can only be a tool but human expertise is critical. According to Neeraj Mittal- Director, Bhavna Prakashan- one of the largest publishers of books in Hindi language, “Translators are people who have a near-perfect understanding of both the source language and culture and the target language and culture. Their hold on grammar must be excellent plus they must know the nuances of the language. A good translator must retain the flavour and essence, tareeka and saleeka should not change.”

What is a good translation versus a mediocre one is an eternal dilemma. According to Moutushi Mukherjee, Commissioning editor at Penguin Random House India, “Whether a translation should be as close to the original in form and syntax as possible, or whether it ought to replicate the essence of the original but read well as an English book. But I think the simplest way to define a good translation is one where the translation itself isn’t visible. The reading is seamless and effortless. It recreates the essence of the original but also reads well by itself in English.”

However, there is a need for extensive work to be done. Not only in literature but also in philosophy, there is much to accomplish. According to Santosh Choubey, Chairperson International Hindi Centre, Director of Vishwarang (a global platform, started by Rabindranath Tagore University in 2019 that celebrates Indian regional literature and culture) and Chairman (AISECT) The All India Society for Electronics and Computer Technology Group, “I have personally translated books by philosophers like Walter Benjamin, Fredric Jameson, and E.F. Schumacher. Despite this, a great deal of work remains to be brought into Hindi. For instance, there was once a significant amount of Russian literature translated into Hindi, but there is currently no information about what is being written there today. Discussions typically revolve around Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky, and Turgenev, and then there is silence. The works of outstanding contemporary writers like Viktor Pelevin, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, and Svetlana Alexievich remain unfamiliar to pure Hindi readers. Similarly, when we talk about Latin American literature, we struggle to go beyond Borges and Márquez, even though the third generation of writers is actively writing there today. Likewise, there is no awareness of any writers from a vast continent like Australia, except for the mention of Katherine Mansfield, who was from New Zealand. The situation is similar with African literature, where the Hindi world recognizes works from Chinua Achebe to Ben Okri.” He also points out how conversely, the pace of translation from Hindi to other languages is extremely slow. Says Choubey, “The timeless works of Hindi poets have never been translated adequately. Great poets like Nirala, Prasad, and Mukti Bodh have works that are not available in English. We have resolved to complete this task at our level. Recently, we have translated 51 timeless Hindi stories into English and six other languages. In the future, we are also making efforts to translate works like Kamayani, Godan, and A Literary Diary. Hindi holds wonderful potential to become a global language. With the advancements in technology, we can enhance communication and translation between different languages more easily than ever. It’s important to nurture this potential in favor of Hindi. Translation not only brings together languages but also unites cultures. Expanding Hindi means honoring and uplifting all other Indian languages, and through translation, we can foster artistic and emotional exchanges among them all. 'Vishwarang' has beautifully set the stage for Hindi’s global journey. One of its main goals is to cultivate a culture of translation, creating a bridge between Hindi and the world’s languages, as well as between Indian languages and dialects.”

The business of translation is always growing and in exploration of new markets. Penguin’s Mukherjee shares- “The business could do with promotion and support from literature festivals and bookshops who could champion translations more. They do, but it would be great to find more books in English with stories that were originally from, say, Manipur or Assam or Punjab or Karnataka. Some languages are explored more, some less. Bengali and Malayalam have a history of great written literary works, while there are languages which have a strong oral history. But the idea is to find the stories that can be translated and get them published.”

Overall, translating literary work from vernacular languages is a labor of love rather than a highly lucrative venture. Translators in this field frequently work for the love of the literature and for the purpose of cultural preservation or recognition.Ultimately, if you enjoy working with languages, have an affinity for writing, and feel a strong connection with different cultures, translation could be a rewarding career path that allows you to bridge linguistic and cultural divides.

Some of the most prolific translators of regional languages include names such as (Tamil) Lakshmi Holmström, V. Geetha; (Hindi) Daisy Rockwell and Poonam Saxena; (Telugu) Velcheru Narayana Rao, B. Indira; (Malayalam) Mini Krishnan and Gita Krishnankutty; (Bengali) Radha Chakravarty and Ketaki Kushari Dyson. These translators have made significant contributions by bridging linguistic gaps within India and internationally, ensuring regional voices reach broader audiences and promoting cross-cultural appreciation of India’s diverse literary heritage.

What Translators Are Paid

The payment for translators in India varies significantly depending on the type of translation, the language pair, the translator's experience, and the industry they are serving. Rare languages tend to be priced higher than common language pairs such as English-Hindi or English-Bengali. Here’s an approximate price range:

Payment Basis	Rate (INR)
Rate per Word	1 to 4
Rate per Page	200 - 500
Flat Fee per Book	30,000 - 1,00,000+