By Rishabh Kumar Roy
Translation carries the meaning of a text from a source language into a target language without changing its message. It spreads information, knowledge and ideas across cultures, and a good translation respects the cultural and regional differences between the two languages. In India, though, the idea of translation has its own history, and that history explains why transcreation feels so natural here.
Anuvad, rupantar and the Indian tradition
In the West, translation usually means staying faithful to the original text. In India, people are more familiar with adaptation, expressed in words such as anuvad and rupantar. This may come from our oral tradition of passing on knowledge, which gave storytellers freedom to reshape a text for a new language or audience. The result is often closer to transcreation than to literal translation.
Literary and non-literary work
Many people in India link translation mainly with literature, but most professional work is non-literary. Translating a Java programming book from German into English leaves little room for creativity; accuracy and terminology come first. Translating the Ramayana or Mahabharata into Portuguese is different: the translator has space to interpret and to show creativity. In this sense translation can be called an art in literature and a skill in technical, legal and business work, where it depends on training and technology.
Translation versus transcreation
Translation means understanding a text and producing an equivalent text in another language. Transcreation goes further: it keeps the intent and tone but adapts the wording so that it sounds natural to the new audience. "How are you?" becomes "Aap kaise hain?" or "Tum kaise ho?" depending on the relationship, and in a warm, informal setting a writer might adapt it further still. Choosing between the two depends on the purpose of the text.
When accuracy comes first
Marketing, advertising and entertainment content often benefit from transcreation. Official documents do not. Certificates, contracts and records for visas, immigration or study abroad must be translated exactly, and authorities usually require a certified translation. Knowing when to adapt and when to stay literal is one of the core skills of a professional translator.
