Translation Theory: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

The Indian literature in English translation (ILET) has become a significant presence not only in the Indian literary scene but the world over. The books like Litanies of the Dutch Battery, the English translation of N. S. Madhavan's Malayalam novel Lanthanbatheriyile Luthiniyakal translated by Rajesh Rajamohan, found a place in the longlist of the Man Booker prize. Malayalam is and has always been an eager receptor of translations, which in terms of translation theory makes it an ideal target language. Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachchan, who lived around the sixteenth century, considered to be the father of the language and the first notable author in Malayalam, was primarily a translator, considering the fact that Adhyatmaramayanam, his retelling of the Ramayana, was a creative translation of the Sanskrit Adhyatma Ramayanam. It is obvious that publication and circulation of translation in Malayalam are pointers to the larger politics implicit in linguistic exchanges today.