Shillong, November 21: On the opening day of the Shillong Literary Festival, a discussion was held on the topic of the journey of Khasi Literature through translation in a panel titled “Making Khasi Literature Travel.” The session featured Professor Streamlet Dkhar, Dr. Bandarilin Bairo, and Alfidarie Kharsyntiew, and was moderated by the literary scholar, Basilica Nongpluh.
At the Literary Festival-2025, the session “Making Khasi Literature Travel,” led by Smti Basilica Nongpluh, was described as a “Lumphuh ka Jingialang” (a fruitful gathering) which served as a literary feast. The discussion revolved around the journey of Khasi Literature since the advent of Written Literature.
It was highlighted that Khasi Literature also possesses an Oral Literature that has existed for untold centuries. This discussion briefly touched upon both the Oral and Written Literature and its journey up to the present day through the use of translation.
What is Translation in Literature?
Dr. Bandarilin Bairo explained that translation is an unavoidable part of daily life. In literature, it is the process of converting content from one language to another, and when doing this, we need to bring the meaning from the Source Language (Ktien Tynrai) to the Target Language (Ktien Thmu).
She also pointed out that when performing a translation, one must remember the interpretation or understanding of the word, which not only applies to written works (literature) but is also inseparable from its use on various platforms.
The Birth of Khasi Literature Through Translation
Prof. Streamlet Dkhar emphasized that the birth of Khasi Literature itself occurred within translation. Without translation, Khasi literature would not have progressed, especially since the script was introduced, as the existence of Khasi Literature is inherently connected to translation.
Since the time of William Carey: Translation was used, even if it was initially in the Bengali Script.
After Thomas Jones: Many writings, such as the Bible, were translated, as the development of Khasi written literature was largely through the translation of the Bible. This process was seen even earlier, as Krishna Chandra Paul had begun translating certain parts of the New Testament.
Can Translation Exist Without Literature?
There are many types of translation:
Regarding Literature: If we are translating pure literature, we require the expertise of the translator to understand both languages (Source and Target), and Literature is necessary.
Regarding Non-Literary works: If the translation concerns fields like Science or Law, we won’t strictly need to translate the meaning found in the new document extensively—it must be unchanging and clear.
Translation requires an understanding of the topic and its meaning, so there are instances where Literature is needed, and instances where it is not.
What are the Most Important Considerations in Literary Translation?
In literary translation, we cannot avoid three aspects: the Principles of Translation, the Challenges in Translation, and the Techniques of Translation.
1. Principles of Translation: The translator must be proficient in both the source and target languages to ensure accuracy. Word-to-word translation must be avoided. If every single word is translated, the original meaning can be lost, as some words carry multiple layers of meaning. For example, the Khasi word “Simlaidieng” would literally mean “bird and three sticks” in English, which is incorrect.
The translation must capture the intended main idea (synboh pyrkhat) of the original document.
2. Challenges in Translation: Smti Alfidarie Kharsyntiew noted that as writers, they face many difficulties because they need to have the knowledge and understanding when they translate. They often over-translate or do not complete the translation, which can lead to mistakes, especially when translating legal books (Law).
Dr. Bairo pointed out three key areas of challenge in translation:
Language: Language is extensive; while some words are simple, others have multiple layers of meaning, possessing Deep Structure and Surface Structure.
Culture: India is a country of immense cultural diversity. To translate any literary work requires an understanding of the Culture of the source document, as even now there are words whose true meaning cannot be fully conveyed without this context.
Aesthetic Rendering (Literature Beautification): In her view, the hardest thing to translate is a Poem (Jingrwai/poetry). It is extremely difficult because one must first deeply understand the meaning, and then specific techniques are needed.
3. Techniques of Translation: Culture is crucial because one must look at the nature of the culture to understand it and avoid mistakes in translation.
The idea that the Khasi language is poor in words is incorrect. John Robert, when translating parts of the Bible, said the Khasi language is very rich because it has many closely related words.
The Adverbs and Adjectives are extremely rich. There are abstract/complex (pharsi) words that are difficult to translate because they require capturing a clear meaning.
The Khasi people are not poor in words, but it is necessary to use translation with a clear understanding of the existing original document.
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