1

Translating Selected Stories from Ahmad Nadeem

Qasmi’s Afsanay (Khud Muntakhib Kardaa 40 Behtareen
Afsanay) into English

Translation Report

Maleeha Imran Gill

2113-BH-ENG-18
Department of English
GC, University Lahore
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Table of Contents

Section-I Translation Report ........................................................................3

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................3

Introduction ..................................................................................................4

The Source Text: .......................................................................................5

The Source Language: ...............................................................................6

The Target Language: ...............................................................................7

Objectives: ....................................................................................................8

Theoretical Framework: ...............................................................................9

Commentary: ..............................................................................................12

Conclusion ..................................................................................................16

References...................................................................................................18
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Section-I Translation Report

ABSTRACT

This project aims at translating a part of Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi's collection of Afsanay

from the Urdu language to English. The selected short stories to be translated are, “Chori

(Theft)”, “Musafir (The Traveler)”, “Baba Noor”, “Paoon ka kaanta (A Thorn in the Foot)” and

“Masi Gul Bano”. English is chosen as the target language because it excels at conveying ideas

while retaining the original essence of the text. The main objective of this project is to introduce

Pakistani Literature at an international level, by familiarizing the world with Pakistani culture,

traditions, and moral values while also taking into account the convenience of people who are

unable to read Urdu. In an attempt to produce an accurate and authentic translated version of the

original text, various translation methodologies and approaches have been incorporated

throughout the process. The project employs a qualitative research paradigm with Christiane

Nord’s “Translation-Oriented Text Analysis” approach in the center. Additionally, Vinay and

Darbelnet’s model, comprising multiple translation methods, further helps in achieving an

effective and faithful outcome. Resulted translation falls under Roman Jakobson’s category of

Inter-lingual translation as the transfer takes place between two different languages i.e., Urdu and

English. Lastly, the ethics of translation are strictly followed to maintain the natural essence and

spirit of the original text.

Keywords: Translation, Urdu literature, Pakistani culture, cultural specific terms, qualitative

method, Translation-Oriented Text Analysis, Vinay and Darbelnet’s model, Inter-lingual

translation, literal translation.

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INTRODUCTION

The word “Translation” spans from a Latin phrase that means “to carry across”.

Therefore, translation can be defined as the process of transferring words or concepts from one

mode of language (SL1) into another (TL2) such that the original text doesn’t lose its essence. It

is a way of facilitating the target readers with a meaningful transfer of a piece of text from one

culture into another through the ‘medium of language’. Translation became an academic

discipline in the 1950s when institutions started encouraging interlinkage among various cultures

(Language Network). This then spread its roots in the literature of society. According to

Shakespeare, literature is a body containing “ideas of permanent or universal interest”. If so, then

it is the duty of some selected individuals, namely translators, to make sure that these ideas, in

foreign languages are not lost and adequately propagated. Such is the purpose of the translation;

to transfer a text from one language to another by preserving the original ideas.

Linguists define ‘translation’ by providing various different definitions, each of which

highlights some unique aspects of the discipline. Newmark provides the most prominent

definition of translation stating, “Translation means to render the meaning of a text from one

language into another in the way that the author intended the text” (5). He emphasizes the

importance of the “original idea” that an author has intended in his text to be translated into

another language in a way that the same message is delivered to the target readers (Nugroho).

Whereas, Nida and Taber in their book state, “Translation embodies the core principle of

reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language

message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style” (12). This definition

1
Source Language
2
Target Language
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comprehensively foreshadows the demand for having adequate knowledge and understanding of

both languages so that the TT3 maintains the intent, style, and meaning of the ST4. Furthermore,

accurate knowledge of social norms and cultures in which both languages exist is also necessary

for an efficient outcome.

The multicultural and multinational world of the 21st century demands a high and

efficient practice of translation. Through translation, a literary tradition marks its existence at the

global level which otherwise might have always remained confined within its parameters. In this

regard, one of the most compelling conditions for it to establish its recognition at an international

level is to get translated into English. Presently, only those literary traditions have managed to

flourish worldwide which either were originally written in English language or got translated

into English. It is due to this reason that Urdu literature is at a significant disadvantage today and

remains confined within the four walls despite its remarkable artistry and great sweep. To save

Urdu Literature from getting lost in anonymity, this project aims at translating a part of one of

the finest collections of short stories by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi into the English language with

the hope that it reaches every corner around the globe.

The Source Text:

Born on November 20, 1916, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi is distinguished among Urdu’s

most well-known poets, journalists, playwrights, and short story writers. As a writer, he played a

vital role in promoting different Urdu Literature genres. His works contributed a great deal in

promoting Pakistani culture across the country and beyond. He has remained a significant figure

in contemporary Urdu Literature with his remarkable collection of poetry, fiction, criticism, short

3
Target/Translated Text
4
Source Text
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stories, drama, and journalism. The source text for this project is taken from Qasmi’s Afsanay

(Khud Muntakhib Krda 40 Behtareen Afsanay), a book comprising 40 fictional stories. The

selected short stories to be translated are; “Chori (Theft),” “Musafir (The Traveler)”, “Baba

Noor,” “Paoon ka kaanta (A Thron in the Foot),” and “Masi Gul Bano”.

In these respective short stories, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi has masterfully portrayed the

grim realities of the world and shed light on the challenging lives of the lower strata of society.

The stories center on themes of social and economic inequalities, helplessness, resilience, finding

hope, oppression, social exclusion, poverty, and isolation. These fictional stories provide the

readers with a comprehensive picture of the intricacies of human nature. Through these stories,

Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s underlying criticism of the higher strata of society is quite visible. He

shows how the poor are being exploited in the hands of the community who remain ignorant of

the struggles and challenges that these ordinary people face in their complex and miserable lives.

Although written in simple words and diction, these stories excel in the art of exposing the

extensive side of human nature. That is why the text holds great importance and is worth

translating into a language that is widely understood by a great mass of people.

The Source Language:

The selected source text is originally written in Urdu and intended to be translated into

English. Urdu is widely spoken in Pakistan, India, and other parts of the world. Its origin lies in

the ‘Indo-European’ group of languages and has words borrowed from various other languages

such as Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Sanskrit, etc. Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, bridges all

four provinces through this one common language since all the provinces have their own unique

culture and language. Literature written in Urdu reflects the religious, social, and cultural

practices of its native speakers. Despite its remarkable artistry, this Literature has remained
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unknown to many. The reason is, that Urdu has not been communicated to the world since works

translated from English to Urdu are more in number than the ones translated from Urdu to

English.

If today, Urdu Literature has failed to establish its recognition at an international level, it

is solely because of a lack of translation. This reason alone gears the researchers and translators

to work on such literature, that is lost in anonymity, and present it to the world. The source text

for this project is marked among the finest works of the most famous dramatist and poet of

contemporary Urdu Literature. The text is written in relatively simple Urdu and comprises

understandable diction, uncomplicated vocabulary, and easy-to-comprehend figurative

expressions. A touch of idiomatic expressions embellishes the story making it more interesting

by conveying the profound and sophisticated message hidden within it. Such techniques adopted

by the author serve the purpose of appealing to the reader’s aesthetic sense. So, to preserve the

message and spirit of the original text, English is chosen as the target language because it excels

at conveying any language's culture and tradition while maintaining the true essence throughout.

The Target Language:

The project aims to translate the source text into the English Language since English as a

language is globally spoken and well understood. This language is particularly chosen because

today, for the work to be globally recognized, it needs to be either written in English or

translated into it. This is well evident from the fact that at present, only those literary traditions

thrive worldwide that are in English. That is why the most compelling and demanding language

today is English. Moreover, it excels in conveying ideas while keeping the original essence of

the text intact. It is rich in vocabulary and figurative expressions which embellish the beauty and
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nature of the text. Also, English as a TL doesn’t play any role in spoiling the original text’s

context. Instead, it beautifies the translated text by maintaining thematic and literal aesthetics.

The basic purpose of this project is to share Pakistani Literature with a vast majority and

the only way to do so is by using the English language as a medium. The text written in English

attracts people and helps expand the ‘vision of humanity’ by providing various sorts of literature

from around the globe. It is through translation into the English language that all kinds of

cultures, traditions, thoughts, styles, expressions, psychology, codes of ethics, and ways of living

of multiple societies are portrayed and presented before people. Therefore, the source text is

translated from the Urdu language to English, maintaining the original text’s intent, style, tone,

and context.

Objectives:

Translation projects have always benefited a great mass of people around the world.

Similarly, I intend to provide the best version of the original text by accurately translating it so

that it may benefit the readers too. The objectives of this project are underlined as follows:

 To help spread Pakistani literature, culture, traditions, and values of people all across the

world.

 To produce a text that’ll help convey the essence of Pakistani culture to Western

countries or those who do not understand Urdu.

 To prevent a remarkable literary text from getting lost in anonymity merely because of

lack of translation.

 To contribute a share of a great piece of literature in the existing field of translation.

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 To make Pakistani authors known to the world so they may receive the deserved

recognition for producing a text that is both aesthetically pleasing and thematically

engaging.

Theoretical Framework:

Translation does not simply mean transferring a text from one mode of language into

another. Instead, it is a complicated process that, along with translating the text, also tries to

maintain the essence, originality, accuracy, and authenticity of the original text in the translated

text. Since it is a complicated process, it requires much concentration, proper theoretical

framework, and methodologies to produce an up-to-the-mark TT. Theoretical framework refers

to the model for the observation and understanding which shapes both what we see and how we

see it. Even though the SL (Urdu) and TL (English) both differ in terms of style and manner, the

accuracy and originality in the TT are hereby achieved with the help of the different methods,

models and approaches applied during the translation process. The qualitative research method

has been adopted with Christiane Nord’s “Translation-Oriented Text Analysis” forming the basis

of the project. In addition to this, Vinay and Darbelnet’s model of direct and oblique translation,

comprising multiple translation methods, further helps in achieving the desired outcome. The

overall translation falls under Roman Jakobson’s category of Inter-lingual translation as the

translation takes place between two different languages i.e. Urdu and English

Christiane Nord’s Translation-Oriented Text Analysis approach carries out text analysis

at the sentence level and encompasses two types; documentary and instrumental. The former, as

the name implies, documents the source culture’s knowledge to the target culture’s audience.

Such types of translations are word-to-word or literal translations that retain the ‘culture-specific

lexical items’ of the ST in the TT to maintain the local color of the former text. In this sense,
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there is little room for experimentation and less chance of a translator’s discreet choice amidst

the act of translation. By contrast, instrumental translation allows for changes in the ST while

translation as long as the essence and the function to preserve its communicative purpose

remains intact. This project is a mixture of both types as the readers know that it’s a translated

version and their culture is also given central attention in the TT so they won’t feel alienated

when reading it.

Nord’s approach employs multiple translation methods to carry out the process of

translation. These methods are selected from Vinay and Darbelnet’s model of direct and oblique

translation. Direct (literal) translation coincides with Nord’s ‘documentary’ translation and

focuses on staying as close to the original text as possible. It further breaks down into three

methods, out of which, this project incorporates “borrowing” and “literal translation”. Borrowing

is necessary when certain culturally specific terms of one language do not have an accurate

equivalent term for them in another. This problem is resolved by transferring such terms in the

TT as it is. An example of such type is seen in various instances in the translated version where

certain words are borrowed from the ST, like Thanedar, Diya, Hakim, Dak, lassi, hookah, ghee,

etc. Whereas, literal translation refers to the direct transfer of source text into the target text. It is

word-to-word in nature and emphasizes that the more literal the translation is, the less the

chances of corrupting the original message. This helps retain the local colour of the original text

by literary transferring the ST contents into the TT.

Vinay and Darbelnet’s oblique (free) translation like Nord’s ‘instrumental’ translation

focuses more on “sense for sense” translation rather than “word for word”. This type of

translation caters for the instances where literal (direct) translation is not possible or fails to

transfer the original message of the ST. The focus lies on taking a sentence from the ST and
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rendering it into the TL in such a way that it conveys the same meaning but no exact words,

phrases, or idioms as the original text are used. It is more like rephrasing the original text than

literally translating it. This strategy comprises four translation methods, out of which,

“transposition” and “equivalence” are used for this translation. Transposition refers to the

grammatical change where one word class or part of speech is replaced for another without

changing the meaning of the ST. For example, adjectives for a verb, adjectives for a noun, noun

for a verb, etc. On the other hand, Equivalence or idiomatic translation is a method by which a

concept is delivered in the TT by dissimilar stylistic or structural means. It is used for the

translation of idioms, proverbs, or other emotive expressions that cannot be translated literally.

This project, however, aims at a more literal translation but resorts to oblique translation where

necessary.

By employing the above-mentioned model and methods, the resulting translation falls

under the category of Roman Jakobson’s Inter-lingual translation. Roman Jakobson introduces

three types of translations namely; Intra-lingual (rewording or paraphrasing the words within the

same language), Inter-lingual (translation from one language into another), and Inter-semiotic

(translation between sign systems). This project however employs the second type, i.e. “Inter-

lingual” translation since the transformation of the source text takes place from one language to

another. Furthermore, essential ethics of the translation are also followed throughout to produce

an accurate, effective, authentic, and faithful translated version of the original text. Ethics of the

translation refer to the necessary codes of conduct that must be followed whilst carrying out the

process. Such as, the translated text has to be objective, unbiased, confidential and faithful, etc.

Translation doesn’t only refer to the transfer of a text written in one language into another, but

the transfer of the whole essence of society and culture. Therefore, these ethics serve as guiding
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principles reducing the chances of uncertainties and ambiguities while also enhancing

professionalism.

Commentary:

Translation is often believed to be an interpretative process that transfers the contents of

one language to another. Nida and Taber view it as a re-expression of the code or message from

the SL to TL where the meaning and language style of TT is closely equivalent to that of ST.

Their focus primarily lies on re-expressing the message by applying necessary grammatical and

lexical adjustments. Dubois, while defining translation more formerly notes, “It refers to the

expression in one language (target language) of what has been expressed in another (source

language), preserving the semantic and stylistic equivalences”. He emphasizes the preservation

of semantic and stylistic features of the original text while translating. It is to be, however, noted

that along with these features, external factors such as social, cultural, linguistic, etc. need to be

kept in consideration too. Maintaining the essence of the original text while also keeping in mind

various constraints can be quite challenging for translators. Similarly, this translation project also

required a lot of effort, techniques, and strategies to overcome the challenges encountered while

translating such a significant literary text penned by one of the most renowned authors of Urdu

Literature.

The short stories to be translated are selected from Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s Afsanay

(Khud Muntakhib Krda 40 Behtareen Afsanay. The stories are, “Chori (Theft)”, “Musafir (The

Traveler)”, “Baba Noor”, “Paoon ka kaanta (A Thorn in the Foot)”, and “Masi Gul Bano”. These

stories are aesthetically appealing and thematically engaging as they excel in the art of exposing

the extensive side of human nature. The central themes and concerns of the stories highlight the
 13

grim realities of everyday life and instantly capture the audience’s attention. Despite all this,

these stories have failed to reach the deserved audience. The reason is, that not enough literature

has been translated and fewer translations eventually mean less propagation. It is due to this that

Urdu literature despite its remarkable artistry and amazing sweep is at a great disadvantage

today. Realizing how the works of great authors are lost in anonymity due to lack of translation

broke my heart and motivated me to translate the work of one of the most celebrated authors of

Pakistani history. The sole purpose of this project is to help spread Urdu Literature, Pakistani

culture, traditions, and values of people across the globe in an attempt that it reaches a large

audience.

With great work, comes great responsibility and therefore, a translator needs to overcome

many challenges and technicalities to produce a text that meets the expectations of the target

audience. One of the problems that aroused in this translation project was the different language

structures of both languages. Since every language has a different structure with a different set of

rules, I, as a translator faced quite a challenge in translating the given source text from one mode

of language to another. This is evident from the subject-verb-object arrangement of both

languages. For instance, simple sentences in English have the order subject-verb-object. As in

this example, “She eats chips”. This structure, however, is not valid for the Urdu language where

the sequence is, subject-object-verb i.e. “‫”وہ چپس کھاتی ہے‬. Thus, these examples show how each

language sits inside a defined structure and has its own set of agreed-upon rules. This

‘complexity’ and ‘singularity’ of the framework add up to the difficulty in the translation

process. To overcome this, I have, deviated from literal translation and made some alterations

where necessary by adding, removing, and rearranging source words in the TT. It is done to

produce accurate and effective output.

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The cultural significance of the source and target text also determines the type of

translation that is required from the translator. The speakers of both language practice different

culture and the colloquialism woven in their formal language often make the task of translation

difficult. Since, both the languages taken are spoken widely, therefore, certain culturally specific

terms of one language often do not have an accurate equivalent term for them in another.

According to Harald Weinrich’s famous slogan, “Words are untranslatable, texts can always be

translated.” This is evident for the fact that there exist some untranslatable words which cannot

be rendered literary and precisely by another word in the TL. This problem of missing terms

often poses a lot of difficulty for the translator and in most cases, to overcome this challenge,

these terms are documented or borrowed as it is in the target text. As in this project, several Urdu

words that had no equivalent term in the English language have been transferred directly to the

target text without any change in them. For example, words like, Thanedar, Diya, Barat,

Mayoun, Jinn, Hakim, Dak, lassi, hookah, ghee, etc. The purpose behind this is to retain the

‘culture-specific lexical items’ of the ST in the TT in an attempt to maintain the local color of the

former text.

The problems of translation are not only limited to language structure and missing words

but extend to more complex terms such as sarcasm, idioms, metaphors, humor, emotive

expression, etc. It is not possible to translate sarcasm literally because if done so, it may lose its

meaning and can result in unfortunate misunderstandings. Similarly, it is quite challenging to

translate idiomatic expressions too, because these items need special attention and efficiency to

be properly transferred. The source text for this translation project contains various idiomatic

expressions that couldn’t be translated literally. For example, “‫”حوالدار جی کی جیب بھاری ہو چکی تھی‬

has a literal translation, “The Sergeant’s pocket was heavy” which doesn’t seem to do justice
 15

with the original idiom used. Therefore, I have intended to translate it by using an equivalent

idiom instead i.e. “The Sergeant had now gotten his palms greased.” Another example is from

this other story where the idiom used is, “‫ ”اس نے سارا محلہ سر پر اٹھا لیا‬having literal translation

“She carried the whole neighbourhood on her head” but rather it is translated as “She raised a

great hue and cry and gathered the whole neighbourhood” Likewise, other emotive expressions

such as similes and metaphors pose great difficulty in translation too and cannot be translated

literally. For example, the literal translation of “‫ ”وہ گلیوں میں بگولے کی طرح اڑا جا رہا تھا‬is “He was

blowing through the streets like a tornado”, but this doesn’t make sense and fails to deliver the

original message accurately. I have rather replaced the literal translation with an alternative

idiom in the TT as “He stormed through the streets”. This is done to maintain the essence and

accuracy of the original message while also making the TT look aesthetic.

In addition to the aforementioned challenges, a translator has to deal with several other

issues, such as lexical-semantic, grammar, syntax, rhetoric and practical problems, etc. To cope

with all these issues, a translator needs to be proficient and possess adequate knowledge and

understanding of both languages. Failure in grasping the command of both languages may result

in faulty and inappropriate translation ruining the essence of both or any of the text. To prevent

hurting the sentiments of the target or source readers, it is very important to choose a proper

theoretical framework and translation methods to carry out the process. Since the transfer of the

original message and the satisfaction of the target reader is the top priority, so the techniques are

very carefully chosen for this project. Moreover, as the project is carried out by qualitative

research method, therefore, several authentic journals, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference

books have been consulted to produce an accurate and acceptable translation.

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Conclusion

In light of the above discussion, it is evident that translation plays a vital role in bridging

a strong connection between individuals ensuring that there exist no linguistic barriers between

countries. Present times mark a remarkable technological advancement that works for the

progress of translation as a profession. It further enhances its important role in conveying

cultural dialogue and exchange of information across different parts of societies. Translation

since refers to a communicative process that takes place through the social use of language, so a

translator needs to be well aware of the social and cultural contexts within which both languages

exist. As translation is about conveying the “full meaning” rather than the bare minimum so it

can be quite challenging when dealing with complex terminologies. Although it is not as easy as

it may seem, translation carries great significance and is highly demanded. Today’s multicultural

and multilingual world asks for a clear and efficient medium of communication between

different languages and cultures. Therefore, translation acts as a medium for developing and

sustaining the very foundations of literary dialogue, across and through cultures.

The importance and significance of translation have long been debated, but it is in present

times that it is being given due recognition. The lack of spread of national literature gears the

translators to work on translating it into a language that is widely understood. Translation proves

to be beneficial not only for the propagation of literature across the world but also for the

professional development of the translator. Likewise, this project has helped me in getting

familiar with the socio-cultural aspects of both the languages involved. It gave me a chance to

study in depth the different language structures that exist and trained me to deal with the

technicalities efficiently. Furthermore, I believe, this project will be beneficial in the future for
 17

many reasons. First, whenever read, it would allow the promotion of shared values across

various cultures and societies. As Jon Parrish Peede notes in Awaiting News at the Dock,

“Translated books have profoundly shaped our cultural perspective over the past half-century”.

Secondly, translated work can enrich the target language, as it brings new terms and ideas with

it. The literary techniques and linguistic and cultural concepts of other languages are a source of

diversity in national literature. Lastly, translation is a medium through which literature travels

allowing great writers to speak out across generations and cultures. Similarly, this project is an

attempt to allow the literature produced by great writers like Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi to travel

across the world. David Shook comments in Translator Profile, “Translation is a great

democratizer, allowing anyone to study the best writers in the world”. Since translation carries so

much significance, it is necessary to pave a way for it to progress as a profession so that great

literary works can be saved from getting lost in anonymity.

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