‘A translation should be able to stand on its own’

NIF’s Translation Fellowship aims to make non-fiction written in regional languages accessible to a diverse audience

1 What’s the story behind the NIF translation fellowship programme?

The translation fellowship programme is actually a logical outgrowth of the book-writing fellowships programme, which is the flagship activity of the New India Foundation, aimed at nurturing high-quality scholarship on post-Independence India.

The first continuity between them then is the focus on modern Indian history, society and politics. However, while the book-writing fellowships are about India after 1947, the qualifying period for the translation fellowships is 20th-century India, even late-19th-century, depending on the text. This is because there are many important works in Indian languages that could illuminate the longer period but to which readers of the English language, or indeed of other Indian languages, would not have access.

2 What will you look for in applications?

We are looking for proposals that bring together interesting books and good translators. This year, in the first round, we are inviting applications for translations from 10 languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Kannada, Assamese, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Malayalam and Tamil. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2021. The applications — which must include a sample translation — will be assessed by language experts, on the basis of which the shortlist will be compiled, followed by interviews and the selection of three Fellows.

3 Are there any caveats as to the texts that may be chosen for translation?

No fiction, no poetry, no drama. The focus will be on history (including social and cultural history), politics, society, biography, memoirs, and so forth.

4 What are the challenges translators face when it comes to explaining ideas from regional texts in English?

Ideally, any translation should be able to stand on its own, approximating the excellence of an original work. This is why translation is viewed as an art, rather than something mechanical. For this, translators have to be imaginative in how they render into English ideas or nuances that may be specific to the language with which they are working. Cultural differences can pose a challenge to translators who need not just felicity in the two languages they are working with, but also familiarity with sociocultural meanings in both — else you can fall into the ‘lost in translation’ syndrome.