The Tamil Nadu Textbook And Educational Services Corporation conducts workshops to train people interested in publishing in translating books. The translators are credited for the books they publish.
According to an official of the association, the aim is to expose Tamil children to the best children’s literature in the world. The workshops began six months ago and have trained four batches of candidates so far. “It’s like an internship. Students (and others) can enroll and stay as long as they want. At the end, they will get a certificate. But they have to stay at least two weeks (for the certificate),” the official added.
Candidates are paid ₹200 per page for translation. Once the translation is completed, the book is sent to an experienced translator for proofreading, after which it is approved for printing.
The candidates are currently translating children’s books for which the government has acquired the rights since the inauguration of the Chennai International Book Fair.
So far, 60 books have been translated and 60 more are in the final stages of translation. “The students first read the books. Then they narrate the stories they have read and translate the English works into Tamil. They are guided in translating words that may not have a Tamil equivalent. In addition, various Tamil authors and translators give translation lessons, especially in translations from other culturally rich countries,” said Peer Mohamed A., program coordinator.
Authors like Balabharathi, Salai Selvam and Vishnupuram Saravanan have served as a guide for the aspiring translators. “I have always been interested in translation and the Tamil language. Recently, I found out the Tamil word for distraction,” said Yazhiprabha S., a student.
For visually impaired Sugiprince G. from Madurai, the workshop was an opportunity to delve deeper into literature. “The books are in e-content format and I translate them using the screen reader app. I have developed an interest in translation…” she said.
Department officials said the basic idea of the program is to train good storytellers as well.
