On translating Pakistani women poets: the ethical problematic of navigating the other

Abstract

ABSTRACT My work on Pakistani women poets is the outcome of a decade long engagement with their verse dealing with their socio-political, religious, and economic contexts. The research involved accessing their works in the original Urdu, English, or in the other languages of Pakistan. Wherever possible, I procured the material required in translation; but there was a huge body of work that I received in the original. This is what brought out the translator in me. Having had no formal exposure to translation theory but belonging to a multilingual culture of which Urdu was an integral part made the task of translation both exciting and challenging. In this article I will discuss briefly the genesis of my research, reflectingupon the dissonances and consonances created within my own identity as Indian, female, and practicing Hindu who, in researching and translating Pakistani women poets, chose to negotiate with a preconceived Other. This conscious decision transformed the ‘academic’ act of translation into a complex process involving important personal decisions and repercussions.I will go onto deliberate upon some of the ethical, thematic, linguistic, and stylistic choices I made during the course of translation. The objective of this article will be to explore the dynamics and ethics of translation through the lens of shared gender and religio-political Otherness.