When did you first get interested in languages?
I grew up in a multilingual household in the UK, where both English and Tamil were spoken, so I have always moved between languages, and have long been fascinated by the differences and similarities between vocabularies, syntax and literary traditions of different languages. I developed a passion for French and German languages and literatures at my state secondary school, where I had some excellent, encouraging and inspirational language teachers.
What did you most enjoy about studying French and German at Oxford?
I enjoyed the range of literatures from different periods which I was exposed to during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Oxford, and feel lucky to have had such a rigorous training in literary analysis. I was also very grateful for my classes on translation, where I had the chance to translate an array of diverse literatures with various styles. These experiences have been valuable for my work as a translator, and in my teaching of literary translation.
During my Master’s course, I had the opportunity to curate an exhibition on the multilingual works of German-Japanese writer Yoko Tawada in the Taylor Institution. This fascinating and enriching experience shaped my thinking about translation and multilingualism, which has been very beneficial for my translation of multilingual literature.
You are a specialist of Francophone literature and, in particular, of Indian Francophone literature. Can you tell us a little more about this?
When we think of India’s colonial past, we primarily think of the British Empire, but certain regions of India were also ruled by the French for several centuries. However, unlike other former French territories of the world where French remains a dominant language, in India, few people speak French today. Instead, English is spoken widely across India, along with regional Indian languages. Most Indian writers adopt English or Indian languages as their literary language, but a small group of Indians have also composed, and continue to compose literatures in French. Some of these writers are from Pondichéry, a city in the South of India, which was the former capital of French India, where French was once a dominant language, but there are also other Indian writers from other regions of India who have developed a passion for the French language and write in French.
Do you have any Indian francophone books you would particularly recommend?
Ari Gautier, whose first novel Carnet secret de Lakshmi I have just translated as Lakshmi’s Secret Diary (Columbia University Press, 2024), is a writer from Pondichéry, who writes about this colourful and vibrant city, and its French colonial history in his literature. His other books include a novel entitled Le Thinnai (2018) and a collection of short stories entitled Nocturne Pondichéry (2021), both of which are published in France.
Another contemporary writer of Indian origin who adopts French as a literary language is Shumona Sinha, who is originally from Calcutta, but now lives in France. She writes prolifically about India and Indian culture in powerful French prose. She has written several award-winning novels, and I particularly recommend her compelling and evocative French novel Calcutta (2014).
You have recently translated Ari Gautier’s novel, Carnet secret de Lakshmi. What is your favourite aspect of the book?
The novel is very unique, as it is narrated from the point of view of animals, and it tells the tragic tale of an elephant who is forced to work in a temple (a common plight of elephants across India), but who wishes to flee her fate, and be free. This protagonist of the novel, the elephant Lakshmi, actually existed in real life in Pondichéry, working in a temple of this city. While Gautier paints a fictional portrait of her life in the novel, his depiction of her suffering is true to life. She sadly passed away while I was translating the novel, and the translation offered me the opportunity to bring her back to life, and convey her suffering, and that of countless other elephants in India, to a wider readership.
The novel is also comic and deeply philosophical at times. Various important questions are explored: what is the meaning of life? What is time? Is living in captivity better than living in freedom? There are also some very quirky scenes and characters in the novel, including a flying fish and a three-legged stray dog who deceives many people with his mischievous antics. We also encounter an elephant who falls in love with the moon, and a chameleon who faces an existential crisis. I was particularly struck by the emotional and psychological depth of the characters in the novel.
The book offers a very fascinating depiction of Pondichéry, its layered history, diversity and its various French buildings and French road names. Processes of translation are also woven into the novel, which I found particularly interesting; my ‘translator’s afterword’ examines this aspect of the novel.
What were some of the challenges you faced when translating it?
The novel is multilingual, and the French text is interspersed with words from Indian languages. I therefore conducted extensive research into the meaning, and the political and cultural significance of these languages to decide which strategy to take when translating the novel’s multilingual poetics. I also had to decide whether or not to include French vocabulary in the English translation.
There are a number of scenes in the novel where the dialogue is taking place in Tamil, but this is presented in French. Translating this dimension of the text was a challenge: as a solution, I decided to intersperse the French with the occasional word of Tamil, to give the reader a sense that the dialogue was taking place in Tamil. I explain this strategy, among others, in my translator’s note.
A particular challenge and opportunity that I faced, and enjoyed, was translating the lyrical passages of the novel. The writer often uses evocative, powerful imagery and the work is very poetic; I attempted to respond to this creatively and imaginatively by using corresponding imagery and poetry in the translation. As is frequently acknowledged today, literary translation is a creative act. Once the translation was complete, I was satisfied, and relieved, to learn that the author had particularly enjoyed reading these lyrical passages in the English translation, and liked what I had done.
What are your upcoming projects?
I’m currently finalizing my monograph entitled Writing between Languages: Translation and Multilingualism in Indian Francophone Writing, which is forthcoming with Bloomsbury as part of the ‘Advances in Translation’ series. It explores the oft-understudied peripheral Indian Francophone tradition, and casts light on why Indian Francophone writers from various regions of India write in French.
The book explores the ways in which these authors write between various languages via processes of translation and multilingualism, and examines the theoretical implications of translating such multilingual writing. It also explores the concept of ‘transcreation’, a term which is frequently used to refer to translation processes in India, and it intervenes in debates about the boundaries of literary translation. It also explores the ways in which the act of translation functions as a mode of research and as a tool of theorisation in Translation Studies.
Details of Lakshmi’s Secret Diary can be found here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/lakshmis-secret-diary/9780231212052