Translation as growth : towards a theory of language development

240 Pages·2010·1.199 MB·English

by  Udaya Narayana Singh

PRAISE FOR THE VOLUME

A laudable contribution with penetrating insights on the theory and
methodology of translation by one of the most active scholars of India. Every
chapter of Translation as Growth is a nugget of information. Those
interested in the theory of translation will find it stimulating and rewarding.
Braj B. Kachru
Professor of Linguistics and Juibilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,USA

Translation as Growth presents many new views on the process of
translation itself. For example, Singh discusses the question of what the
difference really is between authoring and translating in a new light (given
that translation is in a basic sense creative). He also relates Western theories
of translation to Indian theories and relates translation to language
development and to the, often socio-politically dependent, processes of
contact and influence between languages (translation is a major force behind
’linguistic convergence’). The book, in short, makes a valuable contribution
to the increasingly important academic field of translation studies.
Jens Allwood
Professor of Linguistics and Chair, Cognitive Science Program
The University of Gothenburg, Sweden

In Translation as Growth, Udaya Narayana Singh brings his insights as a
poet, linguist and translator to bear upon his reconceptualization of the idea
and the process of translation. He rethinks Western and non-Western
approaches to translation in his attempt to refigure key concepts like text,
language, ideology, culture, location, locution, othering, reading, jouissance,
modernism and postmodernism. He semiotically links creativity with
translativity, critically surveys the models of and metaphors for translation
and closely examines the connections among language, translation, folklore
and culture. The thematic range of the book is as admirable as the the
freshness of its insights. This is no passive report on the scene; the author
takes unambiguous positions on most of the issues and breaks many idols
in the process.
K. Satchidanandan
Poet, critic and playwright, and former Secretary, Sahitya Akademi,
India

This book establishes the centrality of translation in a globalizing linguistic
scenario. Translation is not merely the shift of a given content from one
language to another, but it is a cultural, emotional, interpersonal activity we
engage in all the time. By thus expanding the connotations of translation, the
author explores step by step the science of the translation process. At the
end, we realize with amazement that translation is as creative as writing or
doing something anew. This stupendous book adds a whole new dimension
to the term ‘translation’.
Martin Kämpchen
Translation and Tagore expert, and former Visiting Fellow
Indian Institute of Advanced Study
and Rabindra Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, India

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TRANSLATION AS GROWTH
Towards a Theory of Language Development
Udaya Narayana Singh
Delhi (cid:129) Chennai (cid:129) Chandigarh
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Copyright © 2010 Udaya Narayana Singh

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of
trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated
without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or
cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar
condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent
purchaser and without limiting the rights under copyright reserved
above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise),
without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the
publisher of this book.

Published by Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd., licensees of Pearson
Education in South Asia.

Head Office: 7th Floor, Knowledge Boulevard, A-8(A), Sector-62, Noida
201309, India
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Delhi 110 017, India

ISBN: 978-81-317-3086-7

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Typeset by Cosmos Graphic Center

Printed in India by Repro India Limited
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To Rajarshi and Suchita,
my pillars of growth
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1. WRITING AS OTHERING: TRANSLATION AS CHANGING
PERSONAL TERMINATIONS 30
2. CREATIVITY AND TRANSLATIVITY: A CASE FOR DOUBLE
ARTICULATION? 44
3. THOUGHTS ON THEORIES OF TEXTS AND TRANSLATION 67
4. TRANSLATION: ‘TRY THY METAPHOR’ 83
5. TRANSLATION, TRANSLUSCENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE 97
6. TRANSLATING UTTAR-AADHUNIKATAA: DEBATES FROM
THE BHAASAA LITERARY SCENE 117
7. SOME THOUGHTS ON TRANSCREATION OF TEXTS 139
8. SAYING IT AGAIN: ON BUILDING MODELS OF LITERARY
TRANSLATION 165
9. TRANSLATING ALIEN CULTURES: SEARCH FOR THE NATIVE 177
10. LAMENTATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS 187
Bibliography 198
Credits 214
Index 217
About the Author 229
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I AM GRATEFUL to Suchita, who has been a source of inspiration, and for
agreeing to be the first reader of most of my texts in original as well as
in translation. To my son, Rajarshi—first, because so much of his time
had to be denied to him as I was engaged in creating some of these
pages—and later, when he grew up to be a fine litterateur, for having
critiqued some of my more recent texts. For their patience, when the
work was under preparation. For their impatience, too, when my pace
of work was causing seemingly endless delay.
To all my doctoral students from whom I have had so much to
learn. I love them all. Several of my M.Phil. and pre-doctoral students
have been particularly helpful to me. It is difficult to name only a
handful.
To the supporting staff at Hyderabad as well as at Mysore—
particularly, Murthy, Apparao, Avinash, Bharathi, Swarnali and
Manikantan.
To the editorial team at Pearson, particularly to Urmila Dasgupta
and Praveen Dev in getting the project through and to Shinjini
Chatterjee for editorial and academic input.
Among colleagues and fellow linguists, Professors Sisir Kumar
Das, Rajendra Singh, Suresh Kumar, R.N. Srivastava, Suresh Joshi,
D.D. Mahulkar, K. Satchidanandan, Nirmal Bhattacharya, Harish
Trivedi, B. Mallikarjun, Rajesh Sachdeva, Sam Mohanlal, Anju Saxena,
Debes Ray, Mahasweta Sengupta, Subha Chakraborty Dasgupta,
Meenakshi Mukherjee, P. P. Giridhar, Swapan Majumdar and Probal
Dasgupta have been very helpful in discussing different aspects of
the thesis proposed in the chapters here. I am thankful to them.
Finally, to my readers of translations, for reacting to the texts I
have articulated. The question as to whether I authored them or they
authored me is still open.
I am grateful to the texts, too, for having prompted and provoked
me to act and react in the manner I have.
Udaya Narayana Singh
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