Language, Literature, and Knowledge: The Role of Translation in Regional Contexts

Abstract

India is a vast country with numerous regional languages, and to pass on local traditions, wisdom, and cultural practices to a larger public, translation is very important. Translation has been a boon in transferring knowledge traditionally written in one language to every corner of the globe. It is not merely a linguistic exercise, but also a means of producing and exchanging knowledge. Translation has made it possible for a regional text, written in a language limited to a particular area and accessible to few people, to cross boundaries and reach a large audience worldwide. This paper tries to examine the link between regional literature, the importance of translation, its limitations, and the spread of knowledge made possible by translation. The paper strongly suggests that translation is not only a change of language but also a translation of work that conveys the social and cultural meaning of a language along with it. Translation strengthens the objectives of a particular text to all over the world. Translation can help in understanding of literature, cultures of the field which are not familiar to us. As far as Indian languages are audiences and the texts have been understood and writers have been appreciated as well. At the same time, translation does raise some questions that how can a different language can match the authenticity and emotions of a particular language that are attached with it to a particular set of community through centuries. It is to be mentioned here that translation must be seen as a creative work not only technical, as choices of words and by how much it matches the similarity with the original texts can influence understanding of the language. The paper discusses how translation can facilitate knowledge expansion and serve as an important bridge between regional texts and a wide audience, including intellectuals around the world.