I am in the middle of Book-4 of Ponniyin Selvan.It has taken me more than a year to reach this far. So many people esp. from my mother’s generation have praised this work so much that, I must admit I am a little disappointed, when I find that it has not lived up to the kind of praise that has been showered on it. But that is because I am reading the translated version, since I don’t know to read Tamil.
To be fair to the translator, C.V.Karthik Narayanan, he has done a decent job. But it is impossible as he himself acknowledges, to capture the grandeur of the original. So many people have described events in the story and how Kalki describes them, and since Tamil is my mother tongue, I can imagine how beautiful it must be to read this work in its original form.
My classmate and friend, Shankar, has been reading the original, after he decided that the translation was not satisfactory. Though his fluency in reading the Tamil script is much lesser than that in reading English, he feels that the effort is worth it. Now I am cursing myself for having taken Hindi instead of Tamil as my second language in school. How captivating it would be to read Kalki’s description of Nandini? How great it would be to see Poonkuzhali, one of my favorite characters, through Kalki’s words?
I am still going to complete reading the book in English. And if it weren’t for the translation I might have never read Ponniyin Selvan.But I feel sad that I cannot read one of the great literary works of the 20th Century in the splendor of its writer's words. It is such a shame that Kalki to this date remains unknown to most readers who are not Tamil. And no translation can ever overcome the language barrier and familiarize non-Tamil’s with Kalki’s books. Because it would make a great work like Ponnyin Selvan seem like a mediocre one. And that’s such a pity.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Lost in Translation?
My Views on the English Translation of Kalki's Magnum Opus- Ponniyin Selvan
I am in the middle of Book-4 of Ponniyin Selvan.It has taken me more than a year to reach this far. So many people esp. from my mother’s generation have praised this work so much that, I must admit I am a little disappointed, when I find that it has not lived up to the kind of praise that has been showered on it. But that is because I am reading the translated version, since I don’t know to read Tamil.
To be fair to the translator, C.V.Karthik Narayanan, he has done a decent job. But it is impossible as he himself acknowledges, to capture the grandeur of the original. So many people have described events in the story and how Kalki describes them, and since Tamil is my mother tongue, I can imagine how beautiful it must be to read this work in its original form.
My classmate and friend, Shankar, has been reading the original, after he decided that the translation was not satisfactory. Though his fluency in reading the Tamil script is much lesser than that in reading English, he feels that the effort is worth it. Now I am cursing myself for having taken Hindi instead of Tamil as my second language in school. How captivating it would be to read Kalki’s description of Nandini? How great it would be to see Poonkuzhali, one of my favorite characters, through Kalki’s words?
I am still going to complete reading the book in English. And if it weren’t for the translation I might have never read Ponniyin Selvan.But I feel sad that I cannot read one of the great literary works of the 20th Century in the splendor of its writer's words. It is such a shame that Kalki to this date remains unknown to most readers who are not Tamil. And no translation can ever overcome the language barrier and familiarize non-Tamil’s with Kalki’s books. Because it would make a great work like Ponnyin Selvan seem like a mediocre one. And that’s such a pity.
I am in the middle of Book-4 of Ponniyin Selvan.It has taken me more than a year to reach this far. So many people esp. from my mother’s generation have praised this work so much that, I must admit I am a little disappointed, when I find that it has not lived up to the kind of praise that has been showered on it. But that is because I am reading the translated version, since I don’t know to read Tamil.
To be fair to the translator, C.V.Karthik Narayanan, he has done a decent job. But it is impossible as he himself acknowledges, to capture the grandeur of the original. So many people have described events in the story and how Kalki describes them, and since Tamil is my mother tongue, I can imagine how beautiful it must be to read this work in its original form.
My classmate and friend, Shankar, has been reading the original, after he decided that the translation was not satisfactory. Though his fluency in reading the Tamil script is much lesser than that in reading English, he feels that the effort is worth it. Now I am cursing myself for having taken Hindi instead of Tamil as my second language in school. How captivating it would be to read Kalki’s description of Nandini? How great it would be to see Poonkuzhali, one of my favorite characters, through Kalki’s words?
I am still going to complete reading the book in English. And if it weren’t for the translation I might have never read Ponniyin Selvan.But I feel sad that I cannot read one of the great literary works of the 20th Century in the splendor of its writer's words. It is such a shame that Kalki to this date remains unknown to most readers who are not Tamil. And no translation can ever overcome the language barrier and familiarize non-Tamil’s with Kalki’s books. Because it would make a great work like Ponnyin Selvan seem like a mediocre one. And that’s such a pity.
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9 comments:
Definitely!! Any translation work would either be Lost or Twisted.. cant help that.
Interesting post! as tj said, a perfect translation is hardly impossible..
My dad's been trying to convince me to read the translation for ages. I never actually got around to it. Maybe I should. I've read Kalki's short stories, though (in English) and they're absolutely fantastic. In fact, there's recently even been a translation of Parthiban Kanavu (Dreams of Parthiban) which is supposed to be pretty good...
tj and christian,thanks
manasi,ur the budding theatre actor manasi rite?say hi 2 everyone at masquerade!i did not know that his short stories were translated..must read them sometime.i saw the translated version of partiban kanavu at eloor library.
guys,have u noticed of late there seems 2 be a trend of naming films after kalki's books.now that we have had a partiban kanavu & a ponniyin selvan,wonder if someone will make a movie called sivagamin sabadam with jothika or something..lol
Its a pity that many of us are not able to read in our own mother tongue (mine is telugu, and I can only speak it). And my second language was tamil!.
I have read few passages from Ponniyin Selvan long time ago. Would like to read it again, soon.
Normally the origianl version can never be beaten by its translated version or its clone (I mean copy/ inspired)... Your post, is making it more clearer
Budding actor? Thanks for the tag. :-) Yeah the translation of his short stories are pretty hard to find. I accidentally discovered them at my library.
I have read the original tamil version when I was in High school in the 70s....they kept me up all day and all night till I finished it...Wish they had audio book so that you could atleast listen and enjoy....
siddharth,
The book is an experience by itself.You have to read it in tamil.I read it few times. first in kalki a few years back when they re ran the story in the weekly.It is a joy to wait for every week to get the book and read PS.In the weekly every week you will have a few pictures od Ma sey. which in itself is an experience.
English translation i dont think can capture the feelings the tamil verison brings.
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