THE POLITICS OF TRANSLATING SUBALTERN TEXTS: AN ANALYSIS OF ARUN PRABHA MUKHERJEE’S TRANSLATION OF JOOTHAN 0 0

Abstract

Dalit literature is not generally considered amenable to translation since the cultural milieu of the author is supposed to be inextricably interwoven with the text. Because of this, the concept of fidelity to the source text becomes a moot topic in Dalit translations. Since Dalit translations have an innate limitation as regards preserving the indigenous nuances of the source text because of the use of vernacular expressions and slang in the original, it is doubtful to what extent the translation can do justice to the integrity of the original without compromising its anti-elitist and centrifugal propensities. The present paper employs Walter Benjamin’s concept of “untranslatability” to examine the residual unassimilability of certain aspects of Dalit literature, especially, the complex expressions of identity centered on the idea of caste differences. The paper looks at Arun Prabha Mukherjee’s English translation of Omprakash Valmiki’s Joothan originally written in Hindi as a means to unravel the intricate relations between knowledge and power as pointed out by Michael Foucault. Knowledge-power relations take the centre stage in the translations of Dalit autobiographies since the author’s voice, which records his/her revolt against mainstream society, is immediate and direct. When a sympathetic translator, usually someone not belonging to the Dalit community, undertakes a translation of the autobiography, the vehement voice of protest can be toned down or skewered on account of the implicit “untranslatability” of the text. The paper examines the psychological journey that Arun Prabha Mukherjee had to embark on to assimilate the discontents encoded in the Dalit consciousness. It discusses the aesthetic and political choices he had to make in translating the text and argues that despite the usual objections raised against translating subaltern texts, the translator has been successful in communicating the author’s angst and rebelliousness.