The art and craft of translation

Translation is a very interesting craft which requires proficiency in languages one is working with, a good understanding of the cultures those languages represent and also a fair degree of understanding of the target audience. Without this critical mix of skills and abilities, translations can turn out to be pedantic, boring, literal and forced pieces of writing which conveys nothing worth enjoying. Here, Rajesh Khar, editor, Pratham Books, shares more about translations in conversation with Varsha Verma.

AABP: India is a multi-lingual country. How challenging or exciting it is?

Rajesh: Every kind of diversity is special and I really feel that the diversity of languages and therefore cultures in our country is a very exciting phenomenon. I have enjoyed every thread of it and yes, it does pose some challenges but overall it is something to celebrate and to be ecstatic about. When you travel across India, you see different people eating different food, wearing different sort of clothes, living in their own different ways and speaking different languages. It is all so interesting – their clothes, their rituals, their festivals, their entire way of life and the most distinguishing feature there is the language. The sheer number of languages that people speak in India creates a unique tapestry of expressions, traditions, histories, politics, literature, wisdom and threads of human evolution itself. I have always been fascinated with this linguistic diversity of my country.

AABP: How easy/difficult it is to find good translators? Are there any translation courses they can pursue to enhance their skills?

Rajesh: In m personal experience of dealing with languages and translations, I have found that good translators are not easy to find. Finding good and efficient translators is equally difficult if not more, than finding original authors in those languages. Most good translators for the children's books are usually teachers, authors, editors, theatre persons, journalists and people who have been working with children. Translation is a very interesting craft which requires proficiency in languages one is working with, a good understanding of the cultures those languages represent and also a fair degree of understanding of the target audience. Without this critical mix of skills and abilities, translations turn out to be pedantic, boring, literal and forced pieces of writing which conveys nothing worth enjoying. And like any other craft, translation requires practice, a lot of it.

Translation courses are offered in many colleges and universities abroad, however in India, we have only a handful, literally handful of institutions where one can learn the basics. These include IGNOU, JNU, Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Central Bureau of Translation and some universities.

AABP: What has been your biggest professional reward?

Rajesh: As a translator, I have had my moments of delight when people have liked whatever I had translated. This includes my mother, my close friends and colleagues who always have generously praised my pieces. My colleague Mala Kumar, who also happens to be a well known children's author and a journalist liked my translation of her English story 'Paper Play', so much that she wrote a mail to me saying that my Hindi translation read better than her original story. Of course, she was too generous with her words but for me such words coming from an author are very precious. Similarly my ex colleague and head of content Manisha Choudhry had complete confidence in my sensibility as a translator and would ask me to read her Hindi translations before signing them off. That meant a whole lot to me. My translations have been liked by people like Dr. Madhav Gadgil, who are very particular about how their stories should read in other languages. I have translated one of his stories, Muchkund and His Sweet Tooth which is about a delicate ecological balance between flowers, fruits, bees, bears and forest. He liked it and had approved it without asking for any changes. I feel moments like these are very fulfilling and are the highest professional rewards one can hope to get.

AABP: What advice would you give to an upcoming translator?

Rajesh: I am hardly in a place to give advise but yes I can definitely share my experiences as a translator. Over the years I have learnt that translation works in conjunction with good language capability and sound cultural understanding. It is imperative to read, feel and experience the written words fully. This can only happen after one has observed and experienced the different cultures existing all around us. Reading books, watching plays & movies, listening to good music, appreciating art forms, appreciating nature, talking to people...all of this help us find the appropriate words when we sit down for translation.

AABP: Are there any pitfalls to avoid in the translation business?

Rajesh: Yes there sure are pitfalls and the most dangerous ones in my understanding are doing an espresso-job-of-translation, missing out on the actual inherent texture and detail of the original piece and using too big or too difficult words.

AABP: What’s unique or interesting about any particular language combination?

Rajesh: What is unique or interesting in a pair of languages one is working with is completely subjective. For example, one might pick up a piece for translation just because the sheer difficulty of transporting that particular piece in the target language is challenging in itself. One may pick up a piece because it is such an interesting piece of work that it compels one to translate it. In my opinion, every language is unique in its own rights and when we think about the prospect of translating a story from it to another language, it automatically becomes a challenging task and therefore very interesting. In general terms, it is slightly easier to translate from one to another Indian language as compared to translating from English.

AABP: What’s your funniest translation story?

Rajesh: I haven't got any funny instance or anecdote to share however, I am very lucky that I do translations of children's story and many children's stories are usually funny. I have translated a number of very funny ones which include Hatchu Hatchu by Sharada Lolluru, Too Many Bananas & Too Much Noise by Rohini Nilekani.

I try and shed every single taboo when writing for young readers

Journey so far…

Pic courtesy: Asha Kochchar

Ever-smiling and always humble, Paro Anand shares, “I don't know how established I have been over the years, and not even sure when this really happened. The journey has been a roller coaster. I have struggled, strived and pushed as hard as I could. It began one very rainy day when I took a manuscript of several play scripts, door to door, down Ansari Road. I was soaked in the rain as I had wrapped my precious pages in my raincoat. Most of the time, I was turned away right at the gate by the guard. I must have gone to 17-18 publishers that day.

Finally, one said that they were interested in the concept of the playscripts, but wanted me to re-write everything. So I did and ended up with a bad back. But the book didn't even get published as the editor who had told me to write these, left her job and that was that. Eventually, it got published as my 7th book. And I have to say, it wasn't very good.”

But Paro is happy to be where she is now. “Now, I am so fortunate to have publishers wooing me to give them my work. How lucky could I get in one lifetime! The other day, I was sitting in my verandah with my morning tea, my lovely doggies by my side, my Sahitya Akademi award under my belt and I suddenly had the feeling that I had reached. This was it… everything I had worked towards – professionally, personally, economically – I had achieved. It was such a sense of 'phew,' I had worked to get here, and now I was here. Everything from here on is just the cherry on the icing of the cake,” she laughs.

Writing not just a hobby…

So did Paro always wanted to be a writer? “I had thought I wanted to be a drama teacher, but then I started writing plays and knew I loved it. I had always been a great liar. It was when, at a dinner, someone asked me what I did and I said I was a writer and the person said, “Oh that's such a nice hobby.” I was somewhat stung and said, "It's not a hobby, it's my profession" and that's when I started treating it as such,” she replies.

Hardest part of writing a book…

Though it seems hard to believe that established authors would also have some writing issues, but it is true. As Paro puts it, “Getting started is most difficult, and then comes the discipline. Once I am in 'the zone,' it goes along. But writing is something that can so easily be shoved to the back burner. Everything else seems more important and urgent, but you have to just set that time and do it. Even when I don't have something specific to write, I write.”

Writing for children: any guidelines?

“I try and shed every single taboo when writing for young readers, whether it is a book on body image for the very young, or the impact of rape and violence for teens. I respect my readers by giving them my truth. My only beacon light is that I try to end the story on an upswing, with a ray of light at the end of a dark tunnel. It doesn't have to be a happily ever after, tied up in pink bows, but just that I try not to end on a note of despair. Since teenage is a hard, dark time, I don't want them to be left with no hope,” shares Paro.

Characters: inspired from life or fictitious?

“Well, there is always a bit of both... shreds of people who I have come across show up in the oddest places in my stories. But I am not writing biographies, I am writing reality fiction, so the characters are not 'real' in that sense, though the situations and they themselves may be rooted in reality,” she tells. Advice to

aspiring writers…

As an advice to aspiring writers, Paro sums it just right, “Fellow writer, Uma Krishnaswami said something that has stuck with me years later. She had a secret formula for writers – BIC – which stands for Bottom in Chair. Simply put your bottom on a chair and write but don't set out writing for 16 hours and a 100 page book, stake it in bite sized pieces. Writing in the first flow is the fun part. It's the re-writing that is the work. But, re-work and re-write to make the best possible book. And then, once you feel ready, make a neat, error free submission. I have had really sloppy presentations made to me when I was a commissioning editor. And honestly, the feeling I always had was that if the writer didn't respect her own work, how could I?”

Book that influenced your life…

“Born Free by Joy Adams for inspiring me, Watership Down for making me see the animal kingdom in a completely different light, The True Adventures of Prince Teentang by Kalpana Swaminathan for making me laugh and Harry Potter and JK Rowling for showing me and the rest of the world that it was fine to break every rule that the industry pundits had set,” she says.

Tips for inculcating reading habits…

“As a child, I wasn't a great reader, it was when I found Born Free that it clicked. It was just a matter of finding the right fit for me. So I would say, try different books, don't hesitate to drop a book if you don't like it. Carry a book in your car when there isn't much more to do,” she advises.

On a lighter note…

On asking about her likes and dislikes, Paro replies, “I don't consider writing as work. It’s the thing that I go to if I am feeling off centre. I just love it. Other than that, I love to swim, play with my dogs, work out with my trainer, which would all make me a super fit, super slim person, but, sadly I also love food a lot and I am married into a family of awesome cooks!”

“I am secretly addicted to spider solitaire. I have to play it before I sleep because it blocks out everything else that happened in the day. I am also a huge fan of a singer songwriter, Keith Urban whose lyrics just really speak to me,” she concludes.

Paro Anand is one of the leading authors for children and young adults. She also works with children in schools and NGOs, through her programme Literature in Action and holds a world record for helping over three thousand children make the world’s longest newspaper. She has been awarded for her contribution to children’s literature by The Russian Centre for Science and Culture. No Guns at my Son’s Funeral, opened to rave reviews, was on the International Board on Books for Young People Honour List, has been translated into German and French, and is being adapted for cinema. The Little Bird who held the Sky up with his Feet was on the 1001 Books to Read before You Grow Up, an international gold standard of the world’s best books ever. She has published her 26th book this year, a graphic novel called '2' published by Scholastic and there is another ready to go called A Very Naughty Bear with Scholastic and two more in the pipeline - a collection of short stories called The Other and a novel called Nomad's Land.