This is because literature is the voice of a nation, of a society and its people. Translating these literary works into our own languages can open up an entirely misunderstood world of voices. Or simply bring contentious issues to the forefront of debate, issues that would have been left untouched and lost to the world, had the work not been translated. But is it this simple?
At the London Book Fair this year I attended a seminar about the translation of Arabic literature into the Germanic languages. But it wasn't just a process of literal translation. Instead, it was necessary to get at the hidden meaning, to express it fully, which was deemed an almost impossible task at times. Not only does the Arabic language hold meaning in its language, but in its presentation; it is symbolic in its representation of meaning.
Certain letters are highlighted either above or below by a symbol which will place a particular type of emphasis to be highlighted when reading this word. The literal emphasis placed on the pronunciation of the word will further add to its meaning, something often lost in translation through lack of an equivalent symbolic value. And therefore in the process of translation, often the meaning does not quite 'translate.' It is all about the flow of words, the sound they make; the physicality involved in the actual pronunciation contributes to the literary flow of words. So to capture this meaning, this essence of a culture, is all part of the task of translation. And all part of what makes it such an important and necessary task.
Translation will give us insights into those cultures stricken by censorship, or those simply undiscovered for their literary greatness. Where there is controversy, there will always be some form of literary documentation, be it a diary, a poem, a letter or a series of codes. And translation will bring these words to light and help these voices out of repression in order to generate a greater understanding of a culture, its past and its present.
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