The East India Company and the Politics of Translation (original) (raw)
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Translation, History and Literatures in India
History of translation is also the history of readership and political cartography of the world. Is there any way we can understand the dialogue between translators and their historical context? The study of history in general oversimplifies acts of translation as merely agents of historical discourse. However, the paper argues that it is in fact the other way round; these translations form whole gamut of historical narratives. We cannot have any comprehensive history without translations. For instance, early English translations of the Indian texts in English by Asiatic Society helped the project of colonialism in a big way. Hence, it was not an epistemological inquiry but an imperial strategy. As AK Singh rightly points out that translation “helps in democratization of knowledge.” (Singh: 2014) Early translators like modern translators, were also preys to the political obligations, ideological commitments and some kind of opportunism. The paper is thus divided into two parts: (I) A Brief Survey of History of Translation of Literatures in India and (II) A Proposed Model for Translation Historiography.
History of Translation in India - e-Copy.pdf
History of Translation in India is a thematic volume containing 19 research articles contributed by various subject experts who have focused on different languages. It may prove to be highly useful for researchers in the field of Translation Studies.
Translation Studies, 2019
This article focuses on the first translations of Sanskrit literature into English in the late eighteenth century and how they can be contrasted with pre-existing cultures of translation in India, and in particular with Mughal precedents. Following a brief survey of Sanskrit and Persian theories of translation, the article offers a study of British reconfigurations of Indian literatures in translation and highlights British orientalists' tendencies to either disavow or reject their reliance on Indian literature in Persian. This move towards absenting Indo-Persian precedents and presenting English translations as new, essentially distinct, and superior created a symbolic space where English could challenge and replace a Persian culture of translation, projecting British colonial rule as the new dominant force dislodging the Mughals in India.
Translation Today, 2019
The proposed paper will be an attempt to explore the semantic domain of anubad in Bengal and how the term has been equated with ‘translation' in the nineteenth century as well as how the term also differs from the ‘standard’ English equivalents. In this paper I intend to analyze different layers of the term ‘translation’ and anubad and different understandings in the respective activities. It will also note the discrepancies and rivalries in the process of equating ‘translation’ with the practice of anubad. This paper will also seek to trace how different meanings of anubad were in common currency and formed a part of the common parlance among the Bengalis who have adjusted and fitted the term in their language in a way so that it could very well deal with both the Sanskritik and Western understanding of the act of carrying over a text from one language to another.
Understanding Translation of Indian Literature into English: A Historical Perspective
The present research paper is an attempt to understand the Translation of Indian Literature into English from historical Perspective. India has long tradition of translating the texts from one to another language. It begins with the translation of Ramayan and Mahabharat from Sanskrit to local Indian languages. Doubtlessly, English is the language of global market and also well accepted in the multinational country like India, therefore Indian literature translated into English has its unique place. Besides, in order to accelerate the interest in translation, many agencies and institution like Sahitya Academy, National Book Trust, and National Translation Mission have been established for this purpose. The translation of India literatures into English language is a vital transformation for providing a space for sharing the Indian literature with not knowing Indian languages readers. By using the tool of translation, Indian rich literary traditions has been relocated and reasserted in world literature scenario. Besides, an attempt is made to comprehend the colonial designs behind the translation of that era and similarly the compulsions (market) of the postcolonial era are to be discussed. The present proposal is an attempt to understand the translation of Indian literature into English during the colonial and postcolonial era particularly in socio-political and historical contexts. Even though colonial and postcolonial eras have their own historical and socio-political specificities, various aspects related to translation of Indian Literature into English can be seen
Translation, Colonialism and Rise of English
Economic and Political Weekly, 1990
The introduction of English has been seen as "an embattled response to historical and political pressures: to tensions between the English parliament and the East India Company, between parliament and the missionaries, between the East India Company and the native elite classes". Extending this argument, the author suggests that the specific resolution of these tensions through the introduction of English education is enabled discursively by the colonial practice of translation. European translations of Indian texts prepared for a western audience provided to the 'educated' Indian a whole range of Orientalist images. Even when the anglicised Indian spoke a language other than English, he would have preferred because of the symbolic power attached to Englsh,. to gain access to his own past through the translations and histories circulated through colonial discourse English education also familiarised the Indian with ways of seeing, techniques of translation, or modes of representation that came to be accepted as 'natural'
Historiography of Translation is a vital exercise for a deeper understanding of the way translation evolved in a given time period, the way translators functioned, the kind of conditions of translation prevailed and the way individuals and agencies influenced the process of translation. It not only serves to illuminate the gaps in history but also seeks to explain the historical context. It throws new light on not merely the translation of a particular author but also its reception in a given culture. It stands at the intersection of languages, cultures and worldviews. Therefore, it is necessary to approach it in a suitable way and enrich ourselves with the insights derived from it with humility. History is a maze in which there are many uncharted terrains that await rigorous inquiry. As an intercultural construct, history of translation qualifies in varied ways for the same. As a culture, India disseminated its traditions of knowledge through translation. From its earliest stages, translation served as the medium of carrying across the diversity of ideas and cultural traditions. A pursuit in history is quite challenging even when it deals with one given culture or language. An endeavor which entails multiple cultural contexts and languages could offer the sternest possible challenge in historiography. Historiography of translation in a multilingual, multi-cultural context is an exercise rife with its fair share of complexities. However, if it is carried out in a painstakingly meticulous and rigorous manner, such an exercise could throw up new insights on the historical context of the given time