Translations and English Literature

A literary translation is the translation of a literary text into a language other than the language it was first published in. This may include the translation of novels, short stories, plays, songs, poems, and ballads, and the translation of literary theory and critical materials on literature. Many of the classics, or the most celebrated works of literature today, are translations. This is proof that translation is very important for our literary heritage.

Importance of literature translation

So, why does translation matter? As you might know, English has become the lingua franca of modern times, and most people prefer to use it for intercultural exchanges. Translation into English is an easy way to gain more audience and international recognition for authors who write in other languages.

Due to the dominance of English in the world, translation into English ensures more visibility for works written in other languages.

Other than recognition for individual authors, translation also helps to:

• add to the literary repository of the world
• learn about cultures we are not familiar with
• read good literature from all over the world
• keep up with the sociopolitical currents in other parts of the world

Literature also acts as a cultural archive that mirrors and records social and cultural processes as an alternative form of history. Prestigious awards of literature such as the Nobel Prize and the Man Booker Prize recognise works in translation to be more inclusive of literature that is not written in dominant languages like English.

Characteristics of literary translation

Let's take a look at the main characteristics of literary translation.

• Faithfulness to the original: While translating, it is important to express the original meaning as closely as possible. The purpose of translation is to make a text accessible to people who cannot read it in the original language of writing. A good translation should not deviate from the original, but a few differences here and there, according to the translator's discretion, are acceptable.
• Clarity of expression: A good translator, like a good writer, would put comprehension first. Of course, there are exceptions to this notion because some experimental writers flout literary conventions. Some experimental literary styles that deliberately break the rules of language and invent word styles might prove more difficult to translate.
• Accuracy: Staying loyal to the syntax and grammar of the second language is as important as being loyal to the original meaning.
• Creativity: Since translation can be a negotiation between the original meanings and words and the conventions of the secondary language and culture, translators often take creative liberty with the material. That is why translation studies today deem translation as rewriting, a creative rather than a mechanical process.

Books translated into English

Here is a list of the most translated books in history.

The Bible

Everyone knows about the Bible but did you know that Bible was first translated into English only in the sixteenth century? Originally, the Bible was a collection of scripture written in the languages Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The King James Bible, a widely used version of the Bible, was commissioned to be translated into English in 1604.

The Little Prince (1943)

Written by the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, this novella has been translated into over 475 languages and comes second only to the Bible in the list of the most translated books in the world.

The Iliad and The Odyssey (c. 800BCE)

The epic poems by Homer were originally written in Greek and are studied in translation today. These are now classics of literature and have made their way into popular culture through movies and series like Troy (2004).

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (1870)

This world-famous book by Jules Verne is now considered a classic. The tale of adventure was originally written in French and has been translated into more than 170 languages since it was published.

Other examples of literature translations:

There are too many world-renowned literary translations, but here is a short list of the translations in English.

• Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window (1981) by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese
• The Tale of Genji (c. 1001) by Murasaki Shikibu, Japanese
• Hour of the Star (1977) by Clarice Lispector, Portugese
• Invisible Cities (1972) by Italo Calvino, Italian
• My Name is Red (1998) by Orhan Pamuk, Turkish
• Chéri (1920) by Colette, French
• A Wild Sheep Chase (1982) by Haruki Murakami, Japanese
• Arabian Nights (c. 1706–1721), Arabic
• Metamorphosis and other stories by Franz Kafka (1912 – 1924), German

• Madame Bovary (1857) by Gustave Flaubert, French

• The Diary of a Young Girl (1947) by Anne Frank, Dutch

• The Alchemist (1988) by Paolo Coehlo, Portugese

• Norwegian Wood (1987) by Haruki Murakami, Japanese

• Don Quixote (1605) by Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish

• Fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, e.g., The Little Mermaid (1837) and The Ugly Duckling (1843), Danish

• Crime and Punishment (1866) by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian