Translation work expands the horizons of language and literature

Interchange among different nationalities is impossible without translation, and the development of a multilingual and multicultural country like India is possible only when a large number of people who know multiple languages can understand each other’s emotions, impressions, and written and spoken expressions. Translation opens a thousand doors to the new world, and translators recognize the breath and pulse of this new world with beauty and grace. The expansiveness of the world and its civilizational, cultural, linguistic, and intellectual maturity depend on how many bilingual or trilingual individuals a language or nation brings into the field of action. Therefore, in the coming times, the art of translation will successfully form a large academic sphere and will maintain its established position in the cataloging of creative and non-creative literature. Experts presented these views on translation during the opening session of a five-day workshop on translation capacity building, organized by the Department of Urdu, College of Commerce, in collaboration with the National Translation Mission and the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. The workshop was inaugurated by Professor Sunita Ray, Principal of the College of Commerce, and chaired by Professor Abubakar Raza, Registrar of Patliputra University. Professor Muhammad Zahid Al-Haq, Head of the Khuda Bakhsh Library, participated in the program as the special guest. The program was moderated by Dr. Afshan Banu, a faculty member of the Department of Urdu, Patna University. Addressing the guests and 80 participants who had come from far and wide, Professor Saifur Imam Qadri, a faculty member of the Department of Urdu and local coordinator, stated that this workshop, being thematic and intellectual in nature, would not only broaden the mental and intellectual dimensions of their research scholars but would also create a sense of light and well-being in their literary society. Translation is a measure of exchange among languages and civilizations; therefore, participants should return from here with an even better and more credible academic and intellectual temperament than the one they brought. He informed that experts and faculty in the art of translation from Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Patliputra University, Patna University, Hyderabad University, and Kholan University have been invited to the workshop, with whom participants will engage in intensive practice for five days and succeed in reaching a position of credibility in the field of translation. In her address at the opening session, Professor Sunita Ray, Principal of the College of Commerce, Arts and Science, spoke about the various academic and educational activities of her college and appreciated the initiative of the Department of Urdu, as this national-level workshop would provide opportunities for their students to enhance their professional capabilities and achieve new milestones on the path of life. She praised the sweetness of the Urdu language and the eloquence of its expression. She encouraged the students and said that they should equip themselves with new endeavors for their future, adding that the college would continue to conduct such programs. Professor Muhammad Zahid Al-Haq, Director of the Khuda Bakhsh Library, participated in the opening session as the special guest. Reviewing the multilingual environment in India with reference to the data of the last census, he mentioned the unfortunate situation that the number of people who speak more than one language in the entire country is approximately one percent. He stated that 97 percent of people remain confined to the sphere of a single language from birth to death. He said that without creating a multilingual environment, we cannot bring the dreams of the Government of India’s Vision 2047 to the level of interpretation. He encouraged research scholars to be prepared to learn the principles and rules of working among new languages from the workshop and to find opportunities for themselves in their country and the new world. Professor Abubakar Raza, Registrar of Patliputra University, presided over the opening session. Shedding light on the art of translation and its practical aspects, he clarified that translation is an academic task and has certain principles. The requirements of prose and poetic translation are different, and every language has specific civilizational, literary, and academic terms, whose translation becomes a significant test of proficiency in the knowledge of the language. Citing a verse by Ghalib, he also clarified the difference between good and bad translations in Urdu and Hindi. He congratulated the Department of Urdu, College of Commerce, for such a unique academic endeavor and assured cooperation for similar works in the future. Dr. Muhammad Noshad Alam, Coordinator of the National Translation Mission, in his address, introduced in detail this subordinate institution of the Central Institute of Indian Languages and stated that the foundation of this institution was laid during the tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister of India, and the institution is actively engaged in the translation of important books and documents of all national languages of India.

After the opening session, a workshop was held featuring three special lectures. In the first lecture, Dr. Muhammad Zahidul-Haque, the current director of the Central University of Hyderabad and Khuda Bakhsh Library, illuminated the usefulness, importance, and various types of the art of translation in detail. Dr. Tariq Khan, head of the National Translation Mission, delivered an online address in which he explained in English the specific responsibilities that the field of translation must fulfill in the coming era. Professor Safdar Imam Qadri, in his speech on the role of translation and translators in social change, encouraged students to focus more on this discipline and to explore new employment opportunities. Over the next four days at the College of Commerce, experts will give talks on various topics in the art of translation. Special lectures will be delivered by Professor Ali Rafid Fatihi (Aligarh), Professor Mashraf Ali (Banaras Hindu University), Dr. Muhammad Zakir Hussain (Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna), Professor Afroz Ashrafi (Patliputra University), distinguished poet Sunjeev Kumar Kundan, Krishna Smedha, Professor Syed Ahmed Badr (Jamshedpur), Dr. Afshan Bano (Patna University), and Dr. Muhammad Nowshad Alam. In online mode, Dr. Vishudeep Gogoi (Mesur) and Dr. Shabih Rahat (Ahmedabad) will give their lectures. It is expected that this workshop on the art of translation will enlighten the intellectual horizons of spring research scholars and provide them with new resources for academic advancement.