A couple of weeks ago, one of the folks who run Gaysi Family (Web, Twitter) tweeted a request for a Tamil-to-English translation of a short story they wanted to post on the Writer's Bloc section of their site. Writer's Bloc is where they showcase LGBT writing from India into English. It's a great project, IMO, because it's a category of literature that has struggled to find outlets in our country, which tends to play the ostrich when it comes to issues that don't exactly fit into its sociocultural identity.
I'm not queer, as the community refers to itself, but I am friends with many who are, and I'm very happy to stand up and support any effort that helps make our country a less challenging place for them to live in. I'm also proudly Tamil, or தமிழ், if one must be accurate, and I've found that my familiarity with the language has slipped somewhat. I have the disadvantage of lacking a formal education in Tamil, but I'm very happy for the time I spent with my grandmother when she taught me to form and read the letters, the words, the sentences, and finally, the stories. And this was a great opportunity to not just revive my own flagging Tamil, but also a way to contribute to a great effort by the folks at Gaysi Family.
The Gaysi Family post is here.
It has been a very long time since I have tried a translation, and this is my first one ever in Tamil. Shridhar Sadasivan's பலி (Bali) is a simple story, and one that is probably familiar to many who have known similar characters in their social circles. My challenge was to bring along the Tamil idiom, not so much the words themselves, into the translation, to try and present the characters as they are, and not sanitize the emotional positions they occupy by merely moving the words across languages. I hope I have done what I set out to do, at least to some extent.
Shridhar Sadasivan's பலி, originally published in the Tamil magazine, Thinnai (திண்ணை).
My translation, titled Victim. I think a better title is Sacrifice, and I hope my reasons will be obvious on reading the story. And anyway, isn't it rather condescending to call someone a victim?
I'm not queer, as the community refers to itself, but I am friends with many who are, and I'm very happy to stand up and support any effort that helps make our country a less challenging place for them to live in. I'm also proudly Tamil, or தமிழ், if one must be accurate, and I've found that my familiarity with the language has slipped somewhat. I have the disadvantage of lacking a formal education in Tamil, but I'm very happy for the time I spent with my grandmother when she taught me to form and read the letters, the words, the sentences, and finally, the stories. And this was a great opportunity to not just revive my own flagging Tamil, but also a way to contribute to a great effort by the folks at Gaysi Family.
The Gaysi Family post is here.
It has been a very long time since I have tried a translation, and this is my first one ever in Tamil. Shridhar Sadasivan's பலி (Bali) is a simple story, and one that is probably familiar to many who have known similar characters in their social circles. My challenge was to bring along the Tamil idiom, not so much the words themselves, into the translation, to try and present the characters as they are, and not sanitize the emotional positions they occupy by merely moving the words across languages. I hope I have done what I set out to do, at least to some extent.
Shridhar Sadasivan's பலி, originally published in the Tamil magazine, Thinnai (திண்ணை).
My translation, titled Victim. I think a better title is Sacrifice, and I hope my reasons will be obvious on reading the story. And anyway, isn't it rather condescending to call someone a victim?
Sumant, The translation is brilliant.
You did a great job in bringing the characters and their emotions alive. I especially liked your choice of words, during the beginning sequence and the part where Latha finds out the truth! Amazing job. You have a very natural and smooth flow of words, you should definitely consider writing :)
And yes, the title "Sacrifice" (thiyagam) also suits the story, but IMO Sacrifice is something you do willingly and happily. That is the reason, why I picked "Victim", which conveys the helplessness of the characters.
Thanks a bunch for your time and help.
Much appreciated.
Cheers
Shri
Shridhar, thanks a ton!
'Bali' would normally refer to the animals that were killed at rituals, and those sacrifices are far from voluntary when seen from the animals' perspective, don't you think? That was the context I was thinking of. I do agree that 'Victim' conveys helplessness better, but in the end, Latha isn't that helpless after all, is she?
Thanks again for your kind words. It was fun doing it. :)
Excellent tips. Really useful stuff. Never had an idea about this will look for more of such informative posts from your side. Good job Keep it up.
STOCK MARKET TIPS
This comment has been removed by the author.
very informative article...keep going on..
intraday tips
I enjoyed every little bit part of it and I will be waiting for the new updates.
free stock tips on mobile
Commodity Tips
I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well. I subscribed your service of Stock Tips India, i got accuracy more than 80% in one month. and i earned good profit.
I really love to read this post and I am glad to find your distinguished way of writing the post.
mcx tips
That is what i wanted to say, it is simple and sincere
mcx tips
Stock Tips
Excellent weblog here! Additionally your website lots up very fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your associate link to your host? I want my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Thanks for generating the effort to go over this specific, I really feel firmly relating to it and also actually like studying on this particular subject matter.
http://www.epicresearch.co/careers
Really i am impressed from this post....the person who created this post is a genius and knows how to keep the readers connected
http://www.epicresearch.co/privacy-policy
This is so cool. I am such a huge fan of their work. I really am impressed with how much you have worked to make this website so enjoyable. free stock tips
Thanks for sharing the information. That’s a awesome article you posted. I found the post very useful as well as interesting. I will come back to read some more. forex tips
Asalamo-alaikum-w.b islamicquote is a An online Muslim photo, &wallpapers. Islamic wallpapers, latest news,hadith,news,e.t.c and also updates.A great information site about Islam and Muslims in text,audio and video. Also, a good reference for non-Muslims who are searching about Islam.Huge Collection of Islamic Speeches, Naats and Books. Official Website of islamicquote.
Asalamo-alaikum-w.b islamicquote is a An online Muslim photo, &wallpapers. Islamic wallpapers, latest news,hadith,news,e.t.c and also updates.A great information site about Islam and Muslims in text,audio and video. Also, a good reference for non-Muslims who are searching about Islam.Huge Collection of Islamic Speeches, Naats and Books. Official Website of islamicquote.