Many people are of the view that literary translation is an art in itself and it is undervalued and under-rated in modern society. According to this group a strong academic background in translation does not necessarily make one a good translator. Apart from certain niche professions formal education does not always ensure adroitness. It is more important to have a knack for translation rather than having impeccable grammatical skills.

To effectively communicate a story written by another author in another language and present it to a entirely new audience, one needs a thorough understanding of the culture and traditions of the country where the story has originated from and also the circumstances under which it was written. Blindly copying the text can never yield a good result.

The art or translation cannot be taught like science and there are no easy ways to master this art. Way back in the 19th century, mostly established authors used to translate literary works and they did not for any financial benefit but for the sheer joy of making the literary works accessible to the rest of the world. Also, while translating works of other authors, writers enrich themselves with new knowledge and get exposure to new cultures, different view points, and even new styles of writing.

Today instead of accuracy the focus has shifted to standardization-the more closely a translated work resemble the original work in structure and form the better the translation. However, this is not a very good sign as this kind of an approach tends to lend the translated work a kind of artificiality and the soul of the work gets smothered by the technicalities. It is advisable to aim for a “formal linguistic equivalence” and not a “literary savvy” translation. As a translator have you ever translated a novel or a piece of literature?