“Original is a faithful wife whereas translation is an unfaithful mistress.”
I agree with the above-said quotation. The above quotation is true but you cannot deny the fact that sometimes mistresses behave with you better than a wife. A caring mistress is much much better than a quarrelling wife. Every coin has two faces and it is true also regarding the utility of the translation. A good translation can make you the life-long fan of a foreign author, classic or comic whereas a bad translation can present a distorted image of good foreign author, classic or comic. A good translator never translates text from one language to another mechanically. He always uses his mind and imagination while translating a story or a classic from one language to another. Today I shall discuss with you the good and bad translations in the context of comics and the impact it has on me.
Year: 1986
Month: September or October
Place: Roof of my small ancestral home at Delhi.
Time: Dusk
Events: Father of an eight year boy some minutes ago called him and he quickly descended the stairs as his father while leaving the house in the morning promised him that he would bring a new comic for him in the evening when he would return to the house. His father smiled at him and handed over him a comic which he never saw before. The comic label reads “Gowarsons Comics” and the said comic is larger than the normal size. It had a colourful cover depicting two funny characters – one thin but sharp and another fat but delightful – along-with a cauldron. With curiosity he took the issue the read the name - Astrix Aur Kahade Ka Rasaya.
The boy went back to the roof and sat on a narrow corner of it. Unlike the other boys of his age he used to read the names of creators of a comic before reading the same. The name of author and illustrator were unfamiliar, new and strange to him but when his eyes went further below he found two familiar names – Mr. I.S. Pasha and Mr. Harish M. Sudan – both were big names of Madhu Muskan. Soon it was clear to him that Gowarsons is a sister concern of Madhu Muskan. This raised his hopes. He opened the book and read it in one go. He smiled and laughed many times. He again read it the following day and flipped the pages of it till evening when his father took the same to return it to the renting library. (On those days renting libraries were flourishing in India which used to lent comics and magazines for a day after charging around 10% of the rate of the comic or magazine). Our small boy thereafter tried to search more such issues and read four more such comics and thereafter could not find any more title and the re-read the existing titles many times lastly in 1993 when last of the renting library in his area shut down as most of its visitors were drifted to video game parlor or got busy in watching cable television.
Friends no prize for guessing that who that small boy is. Yes it is yours truly Silly Boy.
Yes you are right I am not telling you my life story. What! you want to know more about me. Oh! I am flattered. But my story somewhere later. Now move on the main topic – importance of translation.
Those translations of ‘Astrix’ series by Mr. H.M. Sudan( creator of Daddyji of Madhu Muskan) and I.S. Pasha( creator of Kalamdas & Babloo of the same great magazine called Madhu Muskan) made me the life-time fan of ‘Astrix’ series. After 2000 onwards I read many ‘Astrix’ comics by issuing them from library. All of them were in English. But still I miss those Hindi ones. But when you read them you nowhere felt that they are translated version. I was surprised to know when it was revealed to me that originally Astrix comics were created in French. Full marks to English translators who translated comics in such a manner that it never misses a punch but highest marks to Harish M. Sudan and I.S. Pasha who translated these comics in such a manner for a general Hindi comic reader that it would be difficult for him to believe that these comics belong to an alien land. Now Astrix seems to me an old friend of mine. All because of those good translations. They did not translate Astrix mechanically but put their imagination and punches into it and Astrix Indian. After 24 years when with the help of some enthusiast contributors and bloggers (read Anurag Dixit and Prabhat) and another friend of mine who downloaded these classics for me I read these comics I can assure you friends they still made me laugh. Though till I have read only two and waiting for others.
I also read a comic of Isnogoud in Hindi (Murakhta Diwas) published by Gowarsons as well. Previously, I read an Isnogoud comic in English (Return of Isnogoud) and I had enjoyed it greatly but when I read it in Hindi I was very disappointed. Though the credit for translation was not given but I am sure it was not by Mr. Harish M. Sudan or Mr. I.S. Pasha. The translation was so mechanical that I felt I was reading a government white paper in Hindi. No doubt if somebody reads it as his first Isnogoud comic he would not go for another Isnogoud comics. No wonder Murakhta Diwas is so far the only comic of Isnogoud published in Hindi. Even if I did not read any Isnogoud comic before reading a Hindi version I would not definitely read Isnogoud comics further. Interestingly, the writer of both Astrix and Isnogoud is the same person.
I think I have proved my point what effect a good translation or bad translation can make.
Some more illustrations:-
In the late 80s Hindi magazine Nanhe Samrat published Hindi translations of Sherlock Homes. An example of excellent translation by Ms. Meera(if I remember the name of the translator correctly). Those excellent translations coupled with the fantastic colour illustrations published with the stories (though I don’t remember now but I think the illustrations were by Anupam Sinha as he was associated with the magazine at that time. Can somebody help me with the information on this aspect) made me a life-long fan of Sherlock Homes.
Ms. Meera after completion of Sherlock Homes continued to translate other classics like Tom Sawyer and David Copperfield. It is due to these translations that I became aware of English classics and enjoyed them as it was not possible for me to read them in English for two reasons – due to my limited knowledge of English and due to my inaccessibility of the originals in English. Those translations not only made me aware about the wonderful world of English classics but also inspired me to read many more once I acquired proficiency in English and was able to collect some of them. During that period and subsequently also I tried to read some more classics in translated Hindi version. Some impressed me due to good translation but others dejected me.
One more excellent example of good translation was Inderjal Comics. The translators of Phantom and Mandrake translated those classics of Lee Falk in such a manner that both these characters particularly Phantom never seemed alien to an average Indian reader. Here also the translators did not work mechanically but put their mind and imagination into translation and so they were able to put Indian soul into Phantom. They also changed the name from Phantom to Betal. I was not aware about the original name till 1990 when Diamond Comics introduced Phantom and carried on with his original name in Hindi as well. On the contrast to IJC Diamond Comics’ translation was not up to the mark. You enjoy the same comic in English more than its Hindi version. The same is the case with their other comics which are original written in Hindi. You enjoy them in Hindi but you miss the pinch in English. It is true for every character whether it is cartoonist Pran’s character or other characters. Worst effected are Motu-Patlu and Chhotu-Lambu. These characters are of humour genre and in the English version you miss the humour. You miss soul of those comics.
I think I have done enough bak-bak. I hope you must have enjoyed my second article. My first article was also published on Comic World. That was regarding my most favorite comic characters Motu-Patlu. You can read it on the following fantastic comic blog:-
http://comic-guy.blogspot.com/
In the end please let me know whether you like this article or not. Your feedback will motivate to write many more such articles.
Thank you.
I agree with the above-said quotation. The above quotation is true but you cannot deny the fact that sometimes mistresses behave with you better than a wife. A caring mistress is much much better than a quarrelling wife. Every coin has two faces and it is true also regarding the utility of the translation. A good translation can make you the life-long fan of a foreign author, classic or comic whereas a bad translation can present a distorted image of good foreign author, classic or comic. A good translator never translates text from one language to another mechanically. He always uses his mind and imagination while translating a story or a classic from one language to another. Today I shall discuss with you the good and bad translations in the context of comics and the impact it has on me.
Year: 1986
Month: September or October
Place: Roof of my small ancestral home at Delhi.
Time: Dusk
Events: Father of an eight year boy some minutes ago called him and he quickly descended the stairs as his father while leaving the house in the morning promised him that he would bring a new comic for him in the evening when he would return to the house. His father smiled at him and handed over him a comic which he never saw before. The comic label reads “Gowarsons Comics” and the said comic is larger than the normal size. It had a colourful cover depicting two funny characters – one thin but sharp and another fat but delightful – along-with a cauldron. With curiosity he took the issue the read the name - Astrix Aur Kahade Ka Rasaya.
The boy went back to the roof and sat on a narrow corner of it. Unlike the other boys of his age he used to read the names of creators of a comic before reading the same. The name of author and illustrator were unfamiliar, new and strange to him but when his eyes went further below he found two familiar names – Mr. I.S. Pasha and Mr. Harish M. Sudan – both were big names of Madhu Muskan. Soon it was clear to him that Gowarsons is a sister concern of Madhu Muskan. This raised his hopes. He opened the book and read it in one go. He smiled and laughed many times. He again read it the following day and flipped the pages of it till evening when his father took the same to return it to the renting library. (On those days renting libraries were flourishing in India which used to lent comics and magazines for a day after charging around 10% of the rate of the comic or magazine). Our small boy thereafter tried to search more such issues and read four more such comics and thereafter could not find any more title and the re-read the existing titles many times lastly in 1993 when last of the renting library in his area shut down as most of its visitors were drifted to video game parlor or got busy in watching cable television.
Friends no prize for guessing that who that small boy is. Yes it is yours truly Silly Boy.
Yes you are right I am not telling you my life story. What! you want to know more about me. Oh! I am flattered. But my story somewhere later. Now move on the main topic – importance of translation.
Those translations of ‘Astrix’ series by Mr. H.M. Sudan( creator of Daddyji of Madhu Muskan) and I.S. Pasha( creator of Kalamdas & Babloo of the same great magazine called Madhu Muskan) made me the life-time fan of ‘Astrix’ series. After 2000 onwards I read many ‘Astrix’ comics by issuing them from library. All of them were in English. But still I miss those Hindi ones. But when you read them you nowhere felt that they are translated version. I was surprised to know when it was revealed to me that originally Astrix comics were created in French. Full marks to English translators who translated comics in such a manner that it never misses a punch but highest marks to Harish M. Sudan and I.S. Pasha who translated these comics in such a manner for a general Hindi comic reader that it would be difficult for him to believe that these comics belong to an alien land. Now Astrix seems to me an old friend of mine. All because of those good translations. They did not translate Astrix mechanically but put their imagination and punches into it and Astrix Indian. After 24 years when with the help of some enthusiast contributors and bloggers (read Anurag Dixit and Prabhat) and another friend of mine who downloaded these classics for me I read these comics I can assure you friends they still made me laugh. Though till I have read only two and waiting for others.
I also read a comic of Isnogoud in Hindi (Murakhta Diwas) published by Gowarsons as well. Previously, I read an Isnogoud comic in English (Return of Isnogoud) and I had enjoyed it greatly but when I read it in Hindi I was very disappointed. Though the credit for translation was not given but I am sure it was not by Mr. Harish M. Sudan or Mr. I.S. Pasha. The translation was so mechanical that I felt I was reading a government white paper in Hindi. No doubt if somebody reads it as his first Isnogoud comic he would not go for another Isnogoud comics. No wonder Murakhta Diwas is so far the only comic of Isnogoud published in Hindi. Even if I did not read any Isnogoud comic before reading a Hindi version I would not definitely read Isnogoud comics further. Interestingly, the writer of both Astrix and Isnogoud is the same person.
I think I have proved my point what effect a good translation or bad translation can make.
Some more illustrations:-
In the late 80s Hindi magazine Nanhe Samrat published Hindi translations of Sherlock Homes. An example of excellent translation by Ms. Meera(if I remember the name of the translator correctly). Those excellent translations coupled with the fantastic colour illustrations published with the stories (though I don’t remember now but I think the illustrations were by Anupam Sinha as he was associated with the magazine at that time. Can somebody help me with the information on this aspect) made me a life-long fan of Sherlock Homes.
Ms. Meera after completion of Sherlock Homes continued to translate other classics like Tom Sawyer and David Copperfield. It is due to these translations that I became aware of English classics and enjoyed them as it was not possible for me to read them in English for two reasons – due to my limited knowledge of English and due to my inaccessibility of the originals in English. Those translations not only made me aware about the wonderful world of English classics but also inspired me to read many more once I acquired proficiency in English and was able to collect some of them. During that period and subsequently also I tried to read some more classics in translated Hindi version. Some impressed me due to good translation but others dejected me.
One more excellent example of good translation was Inderjal Comics. The translators of Phantom and Mandrake translated those classics of Lee Falk in such a manner that both these characters particularly Phantom never seemed alien to an average Indian reader. Here also the translators did not work mechanically but put their mind and imagination into translation and so they were able to put Indian soul into Phantom. They also changed the name from Phantom to Betal. I was not aware about the original name till 1990 when Diamond Comics introduced Phantom and carried on with his original name in Hindi as well. On the contrast to IJC Diamond Comics’ translation was not up to the mark. You enjoy the same comic in English more than its Hindi version. The same is the case with their other comics which are original written in Hindi. You enjoy them in Hindi but you miss the pinch in English. It is true for every character whether it is cartoonist Pran’s character or other characters. Worst effected are Motu-Patlu and Chhotu-Lambu. These characters are of humour genre and in the English version you miss the humour. You miss soul of those comics.
I think I have done enough bak-bak. I hope you must have enjoyed my second article. My first article was also published on Comic World. That was regarding my most favorite comic characters Motu-Patlu. You can read it on the following fantastic comic blog:-
http://comic-guy.blogspot.com/
In the end please let me know whether you like this article or not. Your feedback will motivate to write many more such articles.
Thank you.
