Translation is both a literary activity as well as a creative writing. It is a process of replanting the traditional notion of rendering of Source Language (SL) text in to Target Language (TL) text. In the opinion of Ayyappa Paniker, a notable Malayalam writer, “till the 19th century, Indian translators were not affected unduly by the anxiety of being through to the original and the spirit”. This accounts for the different versions of the Ramayana, The Mahabharata, Upanishad and Gita in different Indian languages. We can see that the Ramayana of Kamban in Tamil is more Dravidian epic than the Sanskrit classic.
Malayalam language is known for its varieties of word usages. Through these usages, its cultural background and hierarchical discourses are seen. Each word is unique in its original language. When it is translated, its irony and cultural values moves onto unfamiliar scenarios. In the process of translation, the essence of a text is more prominent than words and phrases. Words will not be used in its ordinary sense, but in different implication. The main drawbacks of translation includes the use of footnotes in each and every page and without the footnotes, one cannot appreciate the significance properly. As a result, the reader loses his/her attention and focus .Kerala is very rich in cultural practices and traditional beliefs. So, they are very concerned about their ancient customs. Let us examine the popular folksong in Kerala to show the difficulties in translating a culturally bounded text.
The poem in Source Language
“Maveli Nadu vaneedum kalam
Maanushyar ellarum onnupole
Aammodathode irikkumkalam
Aapathonnarkum ottillathanum”
Translated Version
“When Maveli rules over the...
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...r place. The poem loses its significance as it is far removed from the context in which it is being translated. Each and every genre of literature contains the original order and the proper arrangements. It gets destroyed the moment it is translated. A poem cannot be translated to get the original form, rhyme and rhythm. It is impossible to translate keeping both these aspects in mind. The Reader can only assume that form is an external decoration in the translated works.
Translation of the cultural and traditional terms in Malayalam is the major challenge during translation. Common words are very hard to translate .It is not an easy task to transplant the text from one culture in to another. The originality of the meanings are thus lost in the act of translation.
Works Cited
Catford, J.C. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London: Oxford University,1965.Print.
Rhyme-The last words of line one and line three of each stanza rhyme. The last words of line two and line four of each stanza also rhyme. The rhyming words contribute to the rhythm and flow of the poem.
... of language and education is the most important in this story and society. The make use of two different languages in a narrative, provides a reader a perplexing yet fascinating image of characterization and customs. Multilingual story telling pushes the reader to decelerate and acquire supplemental focus on the expressions which are in the small fragments, however as soon as the reader has figured out the foreign words, he or she acquires a priceless picture of the theme of this story. The panorama of native words and phrases, cultural perceptions, and class dispute taken from the incorporation of two different languages are helpful for the reader to obtain significance that he or she couldn't gain if exclusively one language was employed in the story. Just as the power of language is applied to unveil a society, a better comprehension is provided to the reader.
Narayan, R. K., and Kampar. (2006). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version Of The Indian Epic (suggested by the Tamil version of Kamban). New York: Penguin Books. PDF e-book.
result it has on people. In all three poems the last line of the poems
...e first English translation of the Gita was published. All religious texts of ancient India were written in Sanskrit. In November 1784, the first direct translation of a Sanskrit work into English was completed by Charles Wilkins. The book that was translated was The Bhagavad Gita. Friedreich Max Mueller (1823-1900), the German Sanskritist who spent most of his working life as Professor of Comparative Philology at Oxford University, served as the chief editor of the Sacred Books of the East. (Oxford University Press). The Gita was included in this famous collection. Since then, the Gita has become one of the most widely-read texts of the world. True, there are unexplained contradictions and paradoxes in this brief book, but its wide-ranging implications based on the two ancient Darshans of India and its allegorical meanings are still being examined and reinterpreted.
“Ramayana.” The Language of Literature Ed. Arthur N. Applebee, et al. Boston: McDougal Littell, 1983. 130-140. Print.
The epic hero’s journeys hold the hopes for future of ordinary people’s lives. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in approximately 2000 B.C.E which is highly enriched with Ancient Mesopotamian religions, and The Ramayana was written by ancient Indians in around 1800 B.C.E. The stories were written in two different parts of the world. However, these two stories etched great evidence that show people from generation to generation that different cultures and religions are interconnected; they share ideas with each other. Both Gilgamesh and Rama traveled long journeys in these tales. These epic journeys played a role in the creation of different archetypes. We can clearly see that these two tales share similarities between these archetypes. Although
The Ramayana is the most famous and well-known of all Indian epics, originally based on an epic poem it has taken many variations and forms over the centuries. Traditionally the story centers on the hero Prince Rama, who is the embodiment of virtue and perseverance, as he is wrongfully denied his birthright of being crowned king and instead is unjustly exiled into the forest where he encounters his fair share of dilemma. In R. K. Narayan’s condensed, modern version of The Ramayana the classic conflict of duality is a predominant theme, as Rama faces many instances of uncertainty and trivial chaos which are eventually balanced by order and goodness under the laws of karmic causation and dharma alike which he virtuously strives to uphold. Nina
The speech is poetry in itself, and if such a verse can be created in translation, what beauty could be found in the original text.
The structure of a poem helps increase the significance of it. For example “Poem At Thirty Nine” is a free verse poem, this means that it has no rhyme scheme whatsoever. This could represent how her life was in shambles after her father’s passing and that without his guidance she is lost. “Sonnet 116” however is very unli...
Translation is a linguistic science, but it occurs within a theological and moral framework. The issue is a sensitive one, as theology involves an obligation to the text and morality involves an obligation to the
The measured dialogue between Reader and Editor serves as the framework through which Gandhi seeks to discredit accepted terms of civilization and denounce the English. These principle characters amply assist in the development o...
India constitutes a large number of diaspora all over the world. Migration of people in various countries is no longer a surprising issue. Immigrants endeavour to settle in adopted land. Though they adapt foreign way of life and culture yet the pull of past intervenes in their life. They become nostalgic and feel alienated. If out of these immigrants some choose writing as their profession, they consciously or unconsciously give vent to their diasporic experiences in their writings. They attempt to focus on pains, dilemma, discrimination and conflicts they have to face there. Through their imaginary characters they catharsise themselves.
As English governed the India , they used an efficient way to destroy the revolt from the Indian . They taught Indian English instead of their original language. Hindi is the traditional language in India, and it has thousands of the years ’ history. English gives Indian more opportunities on global business and makes Indian have higher status in the world, however, at the same time, it causes many problems. With Indian use English to communicate with foreigners, they forgot the original language. Most young people recognize that English is more fashionable. Our educational policies systematically discourage the teaching of Sanskrit, and one wonders again whether that is in deference to Macaulay, who found that great language (though he confessed ...
... since it deals with the growth of the mind. Therefore, the poet uses syntax and form to emphasize on the important matters that occurred in each stanza.