constructing pathways to translation - Higher Education Commission

First, the large number of omissions in the translated work especially powerful Urdu
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prose passages as indicated in the following detailed analysis shows the lack of fidelity
to the original text.
Secondly, the translated text clearly manifests the translator’s lack of cultural, dialectical
and even linguistic awareness of the source text.
These terminal flaws would render the translated text as non-standard for the readers
having no access
to the original text due to the linguistic barrier.
The title ‘Khuda ki Basti’ is symbolic and connotative and it deserves a better
translation than ‘God’s own Land’, since Khuda in Urdu is more than just connotative,
and is expected to be translated both empathetically and knowledgeably to be translated.
Personally the researcher feels that the original tile should be retained as it is and may be
lexicalized in English language.
7.6 Conclusion
On the whole, the truth is that the translator has no feel for the language of fiction. He
may be following the orthodox approach of ‘literal translation’, which may be acceptable
for translating an esoteric religious text, but not for the work of fiction. Besides, an
English translation of such a rich piece of literature deserves a serious
introductory
essay, than the glib ‘preface’ which has nothing substantial to say about the novel or the
novelist. The absence of the translators’ own notes and profile have also been felt
inevitable during the process of thorough analysis, which are nowhere available in the
translated text.
Thus, this translation is an excellent example of the pitfalls of translation: the lack of a
command of bilingualism and empathetic understanding of the original language and
idiom, culture and theme. It is a lesson in the don’ts of the art and
skill of translation:
what to avoid and not to do. The risks involved in translation are focused.