Transcending linguistic and cultural barriers through translations

Bilingualism sine quo non for modern age:

by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga Chandrarathne

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Perhaps, Malini Govinnage, veteran journalist, writer and translator par excellence offers an epitome of bilingualism. Deeply rooted in the native soil, she has broadened the vistas of generation of Sinhala readership with her enduring translations. However, she is best known for her translations of revolutionary literature including the famous ‘Bolivian Diary ‘of Ernesto Che Guevara which she translated into Sinhalese with full of flesh and blood. She also compiled a series of newspaper articles she penned, into a book on the life and times of Che.

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“There is a figure indelibly painted in the 20th century. Though there are several political figures superimposed on it, they are gradually fading away with the passage of time. The powerful figure of Ernesto Che Guevara rose prominently on the threshold of the 21st century.

This wonder is not because of his film star like physique. It is because of his cause of life for the liberation of the downtrodden population in the third world countries and of his dream of realizing a world sans apartheid and that is not narrowed by class differences.

It is because of these reasons, he (Che) is still alive in the heart of thousands of young intellectuals who aspire for a just society. Another factor that contributed to Che’s universal fame is that he was a fascinating combination of logical thinking and spell of enchantment.

Che was a writer, intellectual, poet and fan. Another feature of his character as humanist political leader was his unconditional transparency “ wrote Malani in a foreword to her translation of ‘Bolivian Diary’ into Sinhala.

Translation is an art and it is a person with not only a vast knowledge of language and literature but also of the subject who is able to do justice to the original work. Though the translation of non-fiction work may not entail much labour, the same can not be said about translation of fiction and poetry from one language into another. In translating poetry, the translator should not only understand the very spirit of the work which is covered in the hide of language but also the style of the original writer, socio-economic background against which the original work was done. It is indeed a handful of translators who have understood this aspect of translation.

Another factor that greatly influence translated work is that it should stand on its own merit as a commendable work.

Most of the English translations of Russian literary works belong to this enlightened category of translations. They are excellent work of literature in English.

Malani Govinnage belongs to that category of enlightened translators who have made an immense contribution to enrich Sinhalese literature and to widen vistas of Sinhalese readership.

Malani’s corpus of work includes Sinhalese translations of famed literary work such as Fontamara, Cry the Beloved Country, Ernesto Che Guevara’s Bolivian Diary and selected poetry from diverse authors.

“All subject matter of poem is not fascinating. Some times they are difficult, bitter and horrendous. However, the poet / poetess who makes poetry out of these experiences are absolutely fascinating. This is the wonder of poetry.The ground behind this wonder is that the realisation of humanity behind all experiences that poet/ poetess endured. ...

As any work of art, poem should have a purpose, objective and serve towards that end. A poet should be able to infuse humanity into men and women of modern era who have been deprived of humanity.

When necessary, a poem should be a weapon. I do not see anything wrong in poem being a force against social injustice, corruption and exploitation” states Malani in an introduction to anthology of selected poetry translated into Sinhalese. The anthology “Mataka Poojawa” (Homage to memory) contains poems representing diverse parts of the globe and by different authors. For instance, Malani has included poems from Russia, Chili, South Africa, UK and USA.Malani’s book on the life and times of Che Guevara contains 30 articles she wrote for Silumina following the discovery of Che’s bones buried in Walleye Grand Air Port. The articles were well received by a Sinhala readership which insisted that she translate Che Guevara’s Bolivian Diary into Sinhalese.

Malani firmly believes that translations of celebrated works will not only enlighten Sinhalese readership but also enrich Sinhalese literature.

Perhaps the significant characteristic of her translations is that her innate ability to capture the very spirit of the original work and to translate it into Sinhalese with lucid diction which is as sharp and insightful as the original. It is no doubt that her mastery in both Sinhalese and English languages would have contributed to this phenomenal success. In a way Sinhalese readership is still privileged to have translators of Malani’s calibre in the arena of contemporary Sinhalese literary scene. She is on par with veterans in the field of translation like late Dadigama V Rodrigo and Cyril C Perera.

To the true sense of the word, Malani Govinnage is a woman of letters who had amassed experience as a journalist, perceptive literary critic and translator per excellence. She sports a fascinating personality with a maturity gained through the travails and vagaries of life. Her latest translation of Buddadasa Galapaththy’s collection of poetry titled “Valley Below” turns a new chapter in her career as a translator. The Valley Below was recently launched. It is her first translation from Sinhala into English. We could recollect how Malini responded when we broke out that a senior politician fathered a child at the age of seventy.

One would think that she would be bewildered and aghast by the revelation. But her response was “How wonderful it is “. More than anything else, this shows what a fascinating personality she is.