Kannada writer Vivek Shanbhag, who is best-known for his novella 'Ghachar Ghochar' which was translated into English and has received international acclaim, believes that all creative writers should experience the process of translation. The reason: Shanbhag says it is a humbling process and there's a lot for writers to learn from it.
"The process that happens between me and Srinath Perur (his translator)-- is not just that I write and he translates. In fact, I get a lot as a writer through this translation process. He is challenging me all the time, asking me things not just the meanings or about sentences, but what is the essence beneath it-- that conversation is very important for me and I gain a lot from this discussion as a writer. I feel a creative writer must go through the process of translation because it is a very humbling experience. When you write in your own language, there are a lot of things that you take for granted. But when it passes the gate of translation, you suddenly feel that all those things are not with you. If you are lucky, you are left with the story and the rest of the things don't come to your head. It is a great lesson for fiction writers to examine our own writing style, and how it is rendered in another language," Shanbhag said, sharing his views on translations. The author was speaking at the launch of his latest novel 'Sakina's Kiss' in New Delhi recently.
