Lesson 5

P20125 : Translation and its Impact

This lesson talks about the impact of translation on literature, science, social movements, politics, the judiciary, and the media. Translation plays a key role in spreading ideas and information beyond geographical boundaries.

    In the field of literature, translations pave way for experimentation with forms and the birth of new genres. They create awareness about the changing trends in literary criticism across the world. For example, it was chiefly through translations that the Tamil literary world became acquainted with ideas such as colonialism, post colonialism, modernism and post modernism.

    By providing an access to latest developments in the field of science and technology, translations contribute greatly to the scientific growth of a nation.

    Translations have also fuelled the growth of several political and social movements. For example, the ideologies of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu draw heavily from the writings of French thinkers such as Voltaire, Montaigne and Rousseau. Rousseau’s “Social Contract” was translated in Tamil as “Samudhaya Oppandham”. Similarly, the growth of socialist movements in Tamil Nadu can be traced to the translations of Russian litearature. The Dalit movement which is gaining momentum in Tamil Nadu is founded on translation of the works of Ambedkar.

    Translation also plays a key role in bridging the gap between the people and the government. Since the Indian constitution was originally written in English, the common man who was not familiar with English found it difficult to understand the Government proceedings. With the regional languages becoming the official languages of the states, efforts were taken to translate the government proceedings into the regional languages.

    The media has grown into a powerful tool of communication in today’s world. Here again the role of translation is indispensable.