Utthana Bharighat is an artist who likes to create narratives and has a deep interest in theatre, cinema and writing. He has translated books to Kannada for Pratham Books, adding translator to his accomplishments. 

Q:  What type of person do you think makes the best translator for children’s stories?

Most importantly, the person should love children. A good translator is someone who is ready to interact with children unconditionally, and thus he or she understands their lingo and temperament well.

Q: Do you have any advice for anyone interested in becoming a translator?

Do it only if you find it fun! Otherwise translation could be boring and mechanical which shows up in your work too.

Q: A book you'd like to recommend to other translators?

There is a Kannada language translation of the Japanese novel Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata, by the name Savira Pakshigalu. I would recommend people to read both these texts to see how beautiful a translation can be. The Kannada translation is as elegant as the original.

Q: What is your personal relationship to language and/or translation?

Translation at one level is like solving puzzles. But to solve this, one has to take help from wide range of knowledge systems, including literature, culture, sociology, human nature and more. Thus, translation becomes an extension of exploring my interest.

Q: When you’ve been given a story to translate, what’s your process, and how long does it generally take?

A: I  read the whole story, first. Then I think about the style in which this would sound good in Kannada. After that, I read every sentence and try to find words which suit the style. After finishing the whole story, I will read it again and make further changes. To do all this it would take 3 to 4 hours for me.



Q: What do stories in translation bring to young readers?

A: Some stories ignite children’s imagination. Some stories give them an access to a different world that they have never seen before. Along with learning new things children will learn new words and thus improve their language skills.

Q: You’ve translated stories for us. Which has been your favourite to work on?

A: I liked The Red Fairy and Stage Fright.

Q:. What is the hardest thing about translating from English into Kannada? How do you navigate words or phrases that are tricky to translate?

A:Whenever I encounter tricky phrases or sentences, I imagine myself explaining this to a child in Kannada. As I do it a few times, I will arrive at a solution. Sometime asking people around for suggestion also helps.  

Q:  How do you feel when your story reaches the child?

A: Of course, it is the most beautiful feeling. And I always hope that the child likes what he/she reads.

Q: As a Student of Performance arts, what do you think is the best approach to translate children's stories? And, do you think you have found a way in this regard?

A: I can’t say I have mastered it. But I am gaining skills as I do it more and more. I would say. Performance arts have taught me how to communicate in a simple and clear manner. I think these two qualities are important for translation too.

Q: How else do you think we can join hands to take more stories to more children in more languages?

A: I would like to see more of local stories. Though there is universality in the themes and interests, I feel that the children gain more if they are given the stories which have taken form in their own cultural space. I think there is more to gain if some decentralization happens in the creation of stories and illustrations, which are being featured here. Regardless of the competent translators, a Kannada story teller would reach a Kannada kid in a more effective way. It is as organic as it could get.

 

Be the first to comment.

---

Gireesh is a writer, visual artist and translator from Chennai. A fine arts graduate, his book was published last year in Tamil and an English translation is under progress. He has translated many storybooks on StoryWeaver including Friends Under the Summer Sun and Who Stole Bhaiya's Smile?

Q: Can you tell us anything about yourself and your job that would surprise us?

நான் ஓவியக்கல்லூரியில் படித்து விளம்பரத்துறையில் வேலை செய்கிறேன். விடுபட்டவை எனும் புத்தகமும் எழுதி இருக்கிறேன்.  பத்திரிக்கைகளுக்கு கட்டுரைகளும் கதைகளும் எழுதும் பழக்கமுண்டு.

I am an arts graduate from the Fine Arts college, working now in advertising. I have written a book called Vidupattavai, among other stories and articles.

Q: What is your personal relationship to language and/or translation?

எனக்கு புத்தகங்கள் வாசிப்பது மிகவும் பிடிக்கும். வாசிப்பதன் மூலமாக புதிது புதிதான வார்த்தைகளையும் சொல்லாடல்களையும் கண்டுகொள்ள முடிகிறது.

I love reading. I find new words and expression through reading.

Q: When you have been given a story to translate, what is your process, and how long does it usually take?

முதலில் அந்த கதையை முழுவதுமாக வாசிப்பேன். மொழிபெயர்ப்பதற்கு முன்னால் அந்தக் கதையை மனதிற்குள் பலமுறை தமிழில் சொல்லிப்பார்ப்பேன்.  பின்னர் அதை மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்வேன். மொழிபெயர்க்க இரண்டு முதல் மூன்று மணிநேரங்கள் எடுத்தாலும் குறிப்பிட்ட இடைவெளியில் அதை வாசிப்பேன். தேவைப்படும் மாற்றங்கள் செய்வேன். வாசிக்கும்போது கடினமாக இருக்கும் வார்த்தைகளையும், பெரிய பெரிய வாக்கியங்களையும் கூடுதல் கவனத்தோடு மாற்றுவேன்.

I read a story and tell it to myself in Tamil a few times. I spend a few hours translating it, and I read it a couple of times at regular intervals to make changes. When I feel certain words or sentences are hard, I change them with extra care.

Q: How did you cultivate the skills needed to translate books for children?

குழந்தைகளுக்கான புத்தகங்களை மொழிபெயர்க்க தொடங்கியபிறகு நிறைய குழந்தைகள் புத்தகம் வாசிக்கிறேன். பெரும்பாலான புத்தகங்கள் பெரியவர்கள் மொழியிலேயே இருப்பதால் வார்த்தைகளுக்கான மாற்று வார்த்தைகளைத் தேடிக் கண்டுபிடிக்கிறேன். எளிதான வார்த்தைப் பதங்களை தொடர் வாசிப்பில் இருந்தே பெற முடிகிறது.

I've read a lot of children's books since I started translating books for kids. Since most books are for adults, I look for alternative words for words. You can get easy word phrases from a series of readings.

Q: What was the experience of translating a children’s book like, compared to translating/writing for adults?

பெரியவராக இருப்பதால் பெரியவர்களின் மொழி புரிந்து விடுகிறது. ஆனால் குழந்தைகளின் மொழியைப் புரிந்து அவர்களுக்கான மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்வது என்பது சவாலாகவே இருக்கிறது. சமயங்களில் இது குழந்தைகளுக்கு புரியாது என இன்னும் எளிமைப்படுத்தும் விதத்தில் எழுத முயற்சிக்கும் வார்த்தைகள் குழந்தைகள் ஏற்கனவே அறிந்து வைத்திருப்பது ஆச்சரியமாக இருக்கிறது. மேலும் குழந்தைகள் புத்தகம் என்றாலும் நான்கு நிலைகளில் உள்ள குழந்தைகளிடம் கொண்டு சேர்ப்பதும் சவாலான வேலையே.

As an adult it is easy to understand adults’ language. But to understand and translate in a child's language is hard. Sometimes when I try to simplify words thinking it might not be understood by children, it was surprising to know children already knew those words. It is also challenging to work across four different levels.

Q: You have translated more than a few books for us now. Which is your favorite among them and why? 

நான் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு செய்த கதைகளில் எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்தது கோடைகால நண்பர்கள். குழந்தைகளிடம் பாலினம் குறித்த மிகத்தேவையான உரையாடலையும், சகமனிதர்களை அவர்களாகவே ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்கிற கருத்தையும் அந்தக் கதை கூறியதால் எனக்கு அது பிடித்திருந்தது.

Friends Under the Summer Sun was my favorite. As it starts the necessary discussion about gender, and tells every kid to accept others as they are, I like it.

Q: What is the hardest thing about translating from English into Tamil? How do you navigate words or phrases that are tricky to translate?

பெயர்களையும் ஊரையும் மொழிபெயர்ப்பில் கொண்டுவருவதே சிரமமாக இருக்கும். சில சமயம் ஒரு நல்ல கதையை மொழி பெயர்க்கும்போது நம்மால் பொருத்திப்பார்க்க முடியாத பெயர்கள் இருக்கும்போது அவற்றுடன் தொடர்புபடுத்த முடியாது. அம்மாதிரியான சமயங்களில் வாய்ப்பிருந்தால் அர்த்தம் மாறாத மற்றும் தொடர்புபடுத்தக் கூடிய பெயர்களை உபயோகிக்கிறேன். பின்னர் உணர்வுகளை வெளிப்படுத்த பயன்படும் எந்த பொருளும் இல்லாத சத்தங்களும் கடினமே. அவற்றிற்கு இணையாக தமிழில் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் சத்தங்களை அந்த இடத்தில் பயன்படுத்துகிறேன்.

It is hard sometimes to capture names of persons and places. In such situations, I make them sound more relatable. Onomatopoeia is always a challenge, I try not to transliterate and use sounds more relatable to Tamil readers.

Q: What type of person do you think makes the best translator for children’s stories?

குழந்தைகள் உலகத்துக்குள் பெரியவர்கள் எனும் அடையாளத்தோடும், அதிகாரத்தோடும் நுழையாத ஒருவரால் மட்டுமே குழந்தைகளுக்கான புத்தகத்தை எழுதவும் மொழிபெயர்க்கவும் முடியும்.

Only those who can leave the authority of adult-ness outside can write and translate books for children.

Q: Do you have any advice for anyone interested in becoming a translator?

நமது திறமையையோ நமது மொழிப்புலமையையோ குழந்தைகளுக்கு நிரூபிப்பது நமது வேலையல்ல. ஏற்கனவே எழுதப்பட்ட புத்தகத்தை சுவையும் கருத்தும் மாறாமல் எளிமையாக நமது மொழியில் மாற்றிக் கடத்துவது மட்டுமே நமது வேலை என்பதைப் புரிந்துகொள்பவராலேயே ஒரு நல்ல மொழிபெயர்ப்பை செய்ய முடியும்.

We are not trying to impress children with our talent and language skills. We only transfer a book with the same feel and simplicity. One can be a good translator when one understands this.

---

You can read all the books translated by Gireesh here. 

Do join the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach out to us through our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

comment (1)

---

Pratham Books' One Day, One Story is back with story reading sessions for children across India! On September 8, Pratham Books Champions all over India will use one book to conduct reading sessions for children in their communities. All sessions are conducted free of cost, and focus on children from under-served communities. You can read more about this event here.

This year, Season 7 of One Day, One Story will feature A Cloud of Trash, written by Karanjeet Kaur, and illustrated by Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi. It’s a story about a little girl called Cheekoo, who has a cloud of trash hanging over her head. This makes her very, very unhappy, and as we follow her story, we learn a little more about trash, and about keeping our surroundings clean.

Last year, 5700+ Champions took the story of Kottavi Raja and his Sleepy Kingdom to thousands of children – conducting 6300+ storytelling sessions in 26 languages, in 25 states and 3 union territories in India. As well as 13 other countries.

We need your help to help children discover the joy of stories, and fall in love with reading. The more languages a story is translated in, the more it will travel to be read and enjoyed by children.

A Cloud of Trash, a reading level 2 story, is already available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Telugu, Maithili and also, in Surjapuri and International languages like Portuguese, Basa Sunda, French, Spanish, Bahasa Indonesia, Czech, Italian, Norwegian,and Chinese too. Join in as a Translation Volunteer to translate this story to a new language. Your contribution to add a language version of this story on StoryWeaver will go a long way in multiplying the number of PB Champs' reading sessions and in turn, help reach more and more kids. We have also created a level 1 version of this story for sessions with a younger audience. You can weave a translation of this version too if you like. 

Wouldn’t that be lovely?  

We need all the translations to be on the site before 30th August.

If you have any queries please write to us at [email protected]

Here's a quick and easy video tutorial on how to translate stories on StoryWeaver. Once you've seen it, you can head over to the site to start translating A Cloud of Trash.

P.s: If you're interested in joining us as a PB Champ this year, click here to enrol.

 

Be the first to comment.

---