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The translation debate: ‘No, translators do not alter the original story or distort its intention’
Literary translator N Kalyan Raman responds to writer Ambai’s observations on the perceived inadequacies of translation. N Kalyan Raman. | Photo credit: Pradeep Cherian
Over the past 30 years, literary translation from Indian languages into English has seen tremendous growth, marked by a steady rise in the number of titles published each year. Translated texts are discussed with keen interest and some “vernacular” authors have come to occupy a central place in the national literary landscape as a result.
However, the increase in attention and readership has not been accompanied by a deeper appreciation of the process of translation, its distinct achievements and limitations. It is largely in this spirit that I propose to undertake a critical scrutiny of this article by the well-known Tamil writer Ambai, which was published here last month. Several coll