Translation As Discovery and Other Essays

The wide-ranging essays presented in this book deal more with the practical than with the theoretical aspects of translation. The emphasis throughout is on the element of discovery inherent in the making as well as in the reading of translations. The author states that translation is necessary to any developed literary culture, and argues that translation into English has made it possible for an Indian literary text to be read and discussed more widely than it could be in any other Indian language. The first section of the book deals with the role of the translator and the methods s/he could adopt. The second section almost amounts to a practical criticism course on translation, giving the reader tools to evaluate a translation.