The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Literature in translation seeks new markets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Literature in translation seeks new markets

Anand Haridas

Popular fiction rings cash chest, writers worried

SELLING WORDS: Controversies and aggressive marketing campaigns have pushed up the sale of translations of popular fiction. - Photo: H. Vibhu

KOCHI: Malayalam has the distinction of bringing out translations of renowned works in other languages much before other Indian languages could. And the reputation dates back to late 1920s. But of late, classics and works of high literary values have been replaced by popular fiction. This trend leaves serious writers and translators a bit worried.

"Translation of English works might have come as part of the colonisation, but we already had translations of French and Russian works like Les Miserables and Crime and Punishment. It shows that we were exposed to foreign literature much earlier than our counterparts," said writer C.R. Omanakuttan.

He returned to history to outline a meticulously planned scheme, spearheaded by the Sahitya Pravarthaka Cooperative Society (SPCS) and implemented between 1950s and '70s. Even with all the flaws in language and diction, these works were accepted by Malayali society, as proven by their sales record.

"With the decline of the SPCS, this trend also died a natural death. The new-age publishers are now pitching in for translations of popular fiction," said Mr. Omanakuttan. He also alluded to the patterns created in history. "English literature, especially American literature, got promoted ahead of Russian and French literature after the Vimochana Samaram (Liberation Struggle)."

Translators complained that they do not get support from publishers in working on serious fiction. Literary critic Vaikom Murali said: "I have completed the translation of The Reader by German author Bernhard Schlink a couple of years back. It is yet to appear in print."

He maintained that good books still get readers, as his translation of Blindness by Jose Saramago is into the fourth edition. But that stands in no comparison with the sale of popular fiction, almost always supported by aggressive marketing strategies.

The first print run of 5,000 copies of translation of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, which has been in news for quite sometime now, was sold out in two days. In a week, more than 10,000 copies were sold across the State.

"This new trend of popular fiction getting translated is evolving at an amazing pace. But that does not mean the translation of serious fiction is being affected," said Ravi D.C. of DC Books. He noted that there is an increase of 25 per cent in the number of serious fiction being translated to Malayalam.

"Consider this, works by Nobel laureates Harold Pinter and Elfriede Jelinek were available in Malayalam immediately after the awards. And the Piano Teacher by Ms. Jelinek is into its third print," he said.

At the same time, there are doubts about the quality of language in which the translations are made. "The translators were meagrely paid, unlike original writers. This has always reflected in the quality of the work," said Mr. Omanakuttan.

Another writer pointed out that change in reader's perception might have led to the decline in market for translation of serious fiction. "Even in original fiction, only short stories are coming up, not novels or longer versions of fiction," said Prema Jayakumar. That could be a reason for the serious fiction losing out to popular version in translations.

But then, as Mr. Omanakuttan said, translation of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography is selling well. "It means that people are ready to buy if we give them good books," he said. At present, shelves at main bookshops are being filled up with popular works. It was Harry Potter, now it is Da Vinci. Titles hardly matter for the popular market.

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