Proposal for translation theories in selected Novel of Arundhati Roy and Khushwant Singh

Translation theory is based on a solid foundation on understanding of how languages

work. It recognizes that different languages encode meaning in differing forms, yet
guides translators to find appropriate ways of preserving meaning, while using the most
appropriate forms of each language.

Translation is to render the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author
intended the text. Translation theory is concerned with minute as well as generalities, and both
may be equally important in the context. There are eight types of translation: word-for-
word translation, literal translation, faithful translation, semantic translation, adaptive translation,
free translation, idiomatic translation, and communicative translation. Among them literal
translation (literature) is presented here in terms of hindi translation of Arundhati Roy’s God of
Small Things and Khushwant Singh’s Truth love and little malice.

Objective: Objective is categorized as:

1. Objective is to study translation theory in all aspects and will focus on Literature theory.
2. Objective is to analyze the literary work of Arundhati Roy’s God of small things.
3. Objective is to analyze the literary work of Khushwant SIngh’s Truth, Love and little
malice.
4. Critical and comparative analysis of Review of Literatures.

Hypothesis:

1. I will examine the well-known literal translation hypothesis and discuss its significance
for translation theory.
2. After few preliminary conceptual analyses an optimal formulation of the hypothesis will
be proposed.

Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things (1997), Arundhati Roy‘s debut novel, didn’t just win the Booker Prize,
but also became the biggest selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. Roy, known for her
strong political stances and commentary, is one of the most followed writers in contemporary
India today.

The events of The God of Small Things are revealed in a fragmentary manner, mostly jumping
back and forth between scenes in 1969 and 1993, with backstory scattered throughout. The story
centers around the wealthy, land-owning, Syrian Christian Ipe family of Ayemenem, a town in
Kerala, India. Most of the plot occurs in 1969, focusing on the seven-year-old
twins Estha and Rahel, who live with their mother Ammu, their grandmother Mammachi, their
uncle Chacko, and their great-aunt Baby Kochamma.

The main action centers on Sophie Mol’s visit to Ayemenem. Joe dies in an accident, and
Chacko invites Margaret Kochamma to Ayemenem for the holidays. Estha, Rahel, Ammu,
Chacko, and Baby Kochamma make a trip to the airport, and on the way their car is trapped by a
Communist march. The family then goes to see The Sound of Music, and Estha is molested by
the Orange drink Lemon drink Man, a vendor at the theater. The next day Sophie and
Margaret arrive, and the family returns to Ayemenem. Finally Vellya Paapen (Velutha’s father)
comes to Mammachi and confesses his son’s relationship with Ammu. Mammachi and Baby
Kochamma lock Ammu in her room, where she screams that the twins are “millstones” around
her neck. The twins decide to run away to the History House, and Sophie Mol comes with them.
Their boat tips over as they cross the river and Sophie Mol drowns. The twins reach shore and,
terrified, fall asleep in the History House, unaware that Velutha is there too.

In summarized manner the translator introduces Ayemenem, a small town in Kerala, India, and
describes the humid jungle and the monsoons that come in June. In 1993 Rahel Ipe is returning
to her childhood home in Ayemenem, where her great-aunt Navomi Ipe (whom everyone
calls Baby Kochamma) still lives. Rahel has come back see her “dizygotic” twin Estha, who
she hasn’t seen in twenty-three years. As children Rahel and Estha didn’t look alike, but they
always thought of themselves as a single person in separate bodies, and they share certain
memories and dreams that only one twin experienced.

As Arundhati said herself: 

‘It didn’t matter that the story had begun, because kathakali discovered long ago that the secret
of Great Stories is that they have no secrets. 
The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter
anywhere and inhabit comfortably. 

They don’t deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don’t surprise you with the
unforeseen.  They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover’s skin. 

You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don’t.  In the way that although you know
that one day you will die; you live as though you won’t. 

In the Great Stories, you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn’t. And yet you
want to know again.’

Khushwant Singh

This famous Indian writer, journalist, lawyer and politician has penned what is one of the most
essential reads in 20th century Indian literature – Train to Pakistan (1956). This historical novel
recalls the partition of India in August 1947, with a focus on its human toll unlike few other
accounts have managed.

Truth, Love and a Little Malice (2002) is an autobiographical account of the journey of the
famous writer, journalist and columnist, Khushwant Singh. The book delves deep into the family
roots of the writer moving forth to his professional life, giving detailed accounts of his relations
with political dignitaries. Khushwant Singh's autobiography has, somewhat fittingly, followed a
plot as complex, controversial and entertaining as the man whose life it documents. 

If you would not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten
Either writes things worth reading
Or do things worth writing.”

Khushwant Singh has written his autobiography without shame or remorse and I love Benjamin
Franklin’s quote.
Khushwant Singh writes about his fear of dying and what Osho told him – “I put my fears to
Acharya Rajneesh the one time I met him in Bombay. The only prescription he gave me to
overcome my phobia was to expose myself to the dying and the dead.” And Khushwant Singh
did take that advise seriously. Hope it helped him.

Review of Literature:
Gorab Can't be sure about the Truth part, but for sure it contains a little Love and a lot of
Malice! Unexpected gem of an autobiography. The initial chapters were deceptively bad.... After
50%, each and every memory and recollection was mind blowing. 

Vidhya Nair I had never read Khushwant Singh in his lifetime of 99 years but was curious to
read his books since his death recently. Turned out I had a number of his books at home. I picked
this autobiography that he wrote in 2002. 

Yigal Zur Simple lucid written with powerful honesty. a man on himself

Gaurav Moghe I was running out of reasons to not start Khushwant Singh's autobiography
which he completed in 2001, when he was 87 and hallucinating over his death. For one, the scale
of years that K.S. lived promised much experiences of both failures and achievements, agonies
and joys. Considering he spent most of his life experimenting over different passions, holding
high-ranks at top bureaucratic offices and ministries, and exchanged ideas with Who-Know-Hos
of various fields was more than enough to read

Saima Truth, Love and a Little Malice is Khushwant Singh autobiography and lives up to its title
in every manner. Khushwant Singh wrote and published it in the mid-nineties when he was
biting his 80’s, assuming there wasn’t enough time left, but much like his long memory, life gave
him another 20 years before ending in 2014.

Neha I have never read a book about Khushwant Singh before. The closest I've come to reading
anything written by him, in fact, is Portrait of a Lady, a short story he wrote based off his
grandmother, which found my way (and rightly so) into my English textbook in middle/high
school. I'm going to spend the rest of my life reading as much as I can of what he wrote.

Reza No doubt Khuswant Singh a fantastic fiction writer in the present sub-continent, have
great creative futusion, rythme of sentence with nostugic appeal and a melodious items and
obviously a great story teller sine early fifties.

Although Truth Love and a Little Malice stated Khuswant own biography but have crutial
political adventurous views with involvement and actor as not only in creative sector but also in
problem solving. 
Jyoti It was an enjoyable and easy read. I like the man more after reading his biography. It
offered an honest account of his friends, foes and friends who bordered on being foes. His was a
life well lived. He believed in working hard despite being born to a rich property developer
father. He was poor in studies, practiced law but didn't like it, moved to foreign service and
public relations, enjoyed working and living in the UK, was generous with food and scotch to
many, liked being with good looking

In this proposed work critical analysis will be performed in these two selected novels. Proposed
work is categorized in chapters starting from introduction, review of literature, analysis of
Arundhati Roy work, analysis of khushwant sing work and finally analysis of their work in terms
of translation theory.

References:

1. Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. Harper Collins, 2003.

2. Laxmiprasad, P.V. Critical Readings in the Fictional World of Manju Kapur. Aadi
Publications, 2016.
3. Malik, Seema. “Crossing Patriarchal Threshold: Glimpses of the Incipient New Woman
in Mnju Kapur‟s Difficult Daughters.” Indian Writing in English. Ed. Rajul Bhargava,
Rawat, 2002.
4. Mishra, Chittaranjan. “Shobha De: Autobiographic Strategies in Selective Memory.” The
Fiction of Shobha De. Prestige Books, 2000.
5. Roy, Anuradha. “Introduction”, Patterns of Feminist Consciousness in Indian Women
Writers. Prestige Books, 1999.
6. Roy, Arundhati. The God of Small Things. Flamingo, 1997.
7. Singh, Veena. “How Difficult are Difficult Daughters? Sunlight on a Broken Column and
Difficult Daughters as Female Buildungsroman.” Contemporary Indian Literature and
Expositions. Ed. Santosh Gupta, Rawat Publications, 2000.
8. Singh, R.A. Women’s Writing in India: New Perspectives. (Ed.) K.V. Surendran, Sarup
and Sons, 2002.