Literary Translation is an activity not to be considered an impossible task or looked down upon as less creative than writing poetry or fiction. If one were to embark upon this task by reading books on theories, it is bound to be a despairing exercise. Nobody seems to have done that. This literary/imaginative endeavor was started by many without knowledge of any theory or theories. In Telugu, literary creation began with the rendering of Sanskrit texts like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. The bare essentials that go to make a successful practitioner, to begin with, are the love of literature and familiarity with the two languages, the language of the source text and the language into which it is rendered. Translation, generally, has come to be considered as a highly complex process, inaccessible and beyond the ken of understanding of enthusiasts, thanks to the ever expanding theories. Against this scenario, an interaction with actual practitioners would help the aspirants and enthusiasts sharpen their skills while leading to gain insights into the art and craft of this imaginative/literary exercise, call it rendering, transcreation, translation or what you will. This paper is based on such useful interaction with practicing translators, creative writers and academics and hopefully provides insights into the much-needed activity of literary translation. |
