अनुवाद की प्रक्रिया / The Process of Translation
Translating poetry, dialogue and academic texts
Show poetry, dialogue and subject-text translation.
To translate a poem, read it aloud for breath, pauses, rhythm and sound, and study its structure, tenses, images and symbols. Neruda, who wrote in Spanish, still reaches us in translation ('Keeping Quiet', by Alastair Reid).
In 'Pushp ki Abhilasha' by Makhanlal Chaturvedi (written in Bilaspur prison), 'chah nahin' becomes 'I crave not' and 'surbala' 'celestial maidens', keeping the rhythm of the repeated opening.
Read about the poet first; perfect word-for-word equivalence is impossible, so stay close to the meaning and revise. FitzGerald rewrote and reordered Omar Khayyam's quatrains (editions of 1859 and 1879), creating a new poem.
Dialogue must still sound spoken in the TL: in Guleri's 'Usne Kaha Tha', 'Mujhe pahchana?' needs 'you' ('Do you recognise me?'), and 'kurmai' (Punjabi for engagement) marks the setting. In drama, a good ear for tone and register is crucial.
Academic texts need the terms in both languages, as in the Class X Science passage on the nettle and the dock plant.
Practise this lesson
Questions that get harder as you improve, a Tutor that helps without giving the answer away, and progress you can see. Free for every learner.
No account, no email address. Opens the real product.