Wright on how right translations integral for mainstream readers

Ghalib to Shrilal Shukla, author, translator and journalist Gillian Wright had the audience absorbed with her flow of words and command over Urdu and Hindi. Holding a session 'Translations from the Hindi Heartland' at the recently concluded Khushwant Singh Literature Festival, Wright, who hails from the UK, read out excerpts from her English translations of the Hindi classic Shukla's 'Raag Darbari' and Rahi Masoom Raza's 'Adha Gaon'.

"We would have lost out on such brilliant writings, if it were not for translations. And yes, I am committed to translating regional literature, since it doesn't reach the mainstream reader,'' reflects Wright, who has also translated Bhisham Sahni's selective stories into English.

At present, working on new translations, Wright's other books cover a range of subjects, including nature of the modern Indian state, Indian birds and story of Darjeeling tea. Having studied both Hindi and Urdu at London University, Wright has collaborated with author Mark Tully on all of his books, and agrees that translation is a creative area that is replete with agony and ecstasy, but the effort is worth it.

Not just the language, as a translator, she crosses many areas and barriers to not just keep the essence and soul of the original intact, but also to bring alive the setting of the novel. Adha Gaon, Raza's honest and controversial novel, unfolds during the latter years of Raj and the first decade of Independence, and portrays the rival halves of a zamindar family, their love, fights and litigations. It attacks the creation of Pakistan, and explores the abolition of zamindari system and its impact at village level. It is a semi-autobiographical work set in the author's village of Gangauli, in Ghazipur district on the fringes of Avadh. "For two years, I lived there, studied the terrain, language, people and customs which are fast changing. It was in-depth work to ensure that nothing got lost in translation,'' stated Wright. To understand the culture of a place, believes the author, it is imperative to know its literature.

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