#38 Translating India: The Rise of Indian Stories in English Translation
Now more than ever, publishers are on the lookout for books translated from regional languages to English. Does this mean a broader scope for Indian writers and translators?
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Ever since Daisy Rockwell’s translation of Geetanjali Shree’s ‘Tomb of Sand’ won the International Booker Prize in 2022, more publishers have woken up to the potential of publishing books in Indian languages. Recently, an Indian reader took to X with a list of 117 regional-language books in translation that were published in 2023. The list contained a variety of fiction and non-fiction books translated from multiple languages into English and acquired by several multinational publishers. But this list barely grazes the surface.
Translations have often taken a backseat in the publishing industry due to several reasons. One of these is discoverability. Aditi Goyal from Vani Prakashan, a leading Delhi-based publishing house, remarks that regional language books are rarely brought to the forefront. “No Europe-like model exists here to streamline and bring together literature from different parts of the country”. The European Commission has established programmes that translate and promote its regional works. Since India lacks national bodies that do the same, translators have to depend on word of mouth to discover new books for translation.
Translated books also tend to fall under the “literary” category, hence they do not receive the same promotion and attention that their commercial counterparts get.
Additionally, due to underpayment, translations that do occur happen only on the whims of a translator when they find a book they truly connect with, says Daisy Rockwell. Given the amount of intensive work that translation requires, it can be quite demoralizing to not receive the deserved recognition. In fact, until recently, cover pages of books did not even bear the name of the translator.
However, things seem to be looking up. In the past 2 years, several initiatives in translation have been gaining leverage. In 2022, the New Indian Foundation initiated a fellowship of 6 lakhs for non-fiction translators across 10 Indian languages. In the same year, the English PEN launched PEN Presents which funds sample translations made for pitching to publishers– an initiative that is open to Indian language translators.
The rise in translations can also be attributed to the international attention that Indian language translations are receiving. In 2023, three Indian books translated into English from Malayalam, Tamil, and Bengali, made it into the longlist of the National Translation Awards in Poetry and Prose, an award administered by the American Literary Translators Association. Additionally, Aniruddhan Vasudevan's translation of Perumal Murugan’s ‘Pyre’ featured on the prestigious Booker Prize’s longlist in 2023.
For Indian writers and translators, these developments can signify a chance of getting published by mainstream publishers. Indian writers can embrace their multilingualism and bring forth their diverse voices in their own mother tongues. Translators, too, have the opportunity to translate more regional language books with the encouragement of increasing recognition and funding.
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