‘Among Dravidian languages, only Tamil can stand on its own without an external infusion of words’

The two-day LangFest gets underway at the DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum

The various facets of language translation were discussed at a panel titled ‘Gains in Translation’ as part of the two-day LangFest, which got underway at the DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum, Muttukadu, on Saturday.

T. Sankara Saravanan, Director, Tamil Nadu Text Book and Educational Services Corporation, said translating between languages could lead to funny moments, especially if online tools were used. For instance, when translating the phrase ‘diamond is a brilliant stone’, one tool threw up the result Vairam oru Budhisaali Kall, where the word budhisaali means intelligence.

On a question from the session moderator, Frontline Editor Vaishna Roy, on why Tamil does not take new words from other languages, like English, he said according to Tamil scholar Robert Caldwell, among the Dravidian languages, only Tamil could stand on its own without the infusion of words from other languages. “It is also the policy of the government to use pure Tamil. However, there are other lexicons that have modern words and usages,” he added.

Mini Krishnan, translator, who has worked many years in the publishing industry, said when translating, one should be very careful as to who was the target audience. She cited the example of how the Bible was translated to suit local cultures.

Translator V. Ramakrishnan cited examples of how particular film directors were taking efforts to popularise Tamil words for English words. Chewing gum and coffee are two words that are becoming popular due to this, he said, adding that borrowing of words from other languages led to the deterioration of the language. 

Earlier, the LangFest, which also has a film component, was inaugurated by Commissioner of Archives and Historical Research G. Prakash.

Speaking on the occasion, he appreciated the work of organisations like DakshinaChitra in preserving culture and carrying it forward to the next generation. He said there was a need for more such programmes throughout the State. The proceedings at the LangFest, curated by translator Amudhan R.P., began with a music programme by Uru and his team. They presented songs on the flute, yaazh and panchavadyam.