Translation promotes unity in diversity, says Mamata on Int'l Translation Day
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee observed the International Translation Day on Sunday.
"Today is #InternationalTranslationDay. The theme for 2018 is 'Translation: promoting cultural heritage in changing times'. Translation promotes unity in diversity. In fact, many of my books have been translated to English, Hindi and Olchiki," the Chief Minister tweeted.
Banerjee, who is a prolific writer, has 81 books written in Bengali, English, Urdu, Hindi and Olchiki to her credit. In a recent interview to a vernacular television channel, she said that her main income comes from the royalty of her books, as she does not take any remuneration from the state government.
In 1995, her first book Upolobdhi was published, followed by Ma and Janatar Darbar. For children she has written Kathanjali and Ajab Chara. My unforgettable memories written by her was later translated by Nandini Sengupta.
On May 24, 2017, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the role of language professionals in connecting nations and fostering peace and understanding and developed and declared September 30 as International Translation Day.
It may be recalled that it was Sister Nivedita who had translated Rabindranath Tagore's Kabuliwalla in English, which later became internationally famous. Romian Rolland's Jean Christophe, for which he got Nobel Prize in 1915, was translated in English by Gilbert Cannan.
Famous philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's German book Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was translated in English by D F Pears and B F Guinness and was published with an introduction by Bertrand Russell in 1922. The book became internationally famous.
With the passage of time, a trend of translating books in German, French and Italian language to Bengali has emerged. The complete volume of Sherlock Holmes has also been translated to Bengali.
