The Art of Translation: The Enchanting Treasure of Meaning
"I am honoured to share a beautiful composition originally written in Urdu by my beloved teacher, Dr Muzaffar Hussain Syed (Dr M.H. Syed). His words have always inspired me deeply, and I have attempted to convey their essence in English."
Translation: Babuddin Usmani
A poet has beautifully said:
"In which language, where shall I search for someone
Who can translate the echo of my voice into words?"
Ghalib had described the words of his poetry as a treasure trove of meaning. Today, the art of translation is no less a magical repository of meaning. Indeed, translation is as intricate and complex as this; it has multiple angles, extremely demanding conditions, layers of problems, and successive difficulties, all of which confront the practitioner of this art. Overcoming these challenges and achieving excellence is what translation truly entails. I do not agree with the notion that translation is merely a technical or mechanical task. In reality, translation is not a mechanical act; it is a creative endeavour, even a feat.
Before discussing the assigned topic, it is essential first to define translation, identify its types, and then, within that framework, discuss the qualities, competence, and responsibilities of translators.
Fundamentally, translation is the process of successfully transferring a work of art or scholarly document from one language to another. Scholars and experts have provided countless definitions of translation, each trying to define its boundaries and conditions from their own perspective, yet there remains no consensus. From a Western viewpoint, Kenneth defines translation as the balanced process of transferring content from one language to another. According to Paul Goodman, translation is the creative act of expressing the original author’s thoughts faithfully but in the translator’s style. Carl Wilhelm sees an excellent translation in a negative light: the parts of the original text that remain unexpressed are, in fact, its best elements. Some stricter critics even regard translation as an intellectual theft. Another expert, George Borrow, says that translation is merely the echo of the original text—nothing more. These perspectives are from Western scholars, themselves recognised as master translators.
Turning to Urdu scholars, Allama Ahmed Sarwar states: “The importance of translation is no less than creation; in translation, creation must be recreated.” Muhammad Hasan Askari considers translation a great work, remarking that “any greatness in our literature is in some way linked to translations.” Professor Muhammad Hasan calls translation ‘understanding’, noting that “necessity often turns evils into virtues; translation is one such evil.” Jameel Jalibi describes translation as a precise process. Rashid Amjad calls it “a window through which we observe the conditions of other nations.” Syed Abid Hussain believes that “translation gains literary value only when the essence, style, fragrance, and flavour of the original text are fully conveyed from one language to another.”
Having dedicated almost four decades to translation—including journalistic, informative, scholarly, and literary works—I have had the privilege of translating masterpieces from Urdu into English and from English into Urdu. Currently, my focus is on rendering Urdu literature into English, a need that perhaps is greater today. Without delving into exhaustive detail, a few examples will appear in the practical section of this essay. Based on my experiences, I hold that “translation is, in fact, a recreation. The highest form of translation surpasses the original work, though this is nearly impossible. In other words, translation is akin to a chemical process: while alchemy turns brass into gold, translation turns gold into silver—but this silver is precious, polished with great effort.”
Translation can be classified into at least three categories:
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Informative translation: covering biographies, history, politics, psychology, and scientific works.
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Literary translation: including fictional prose, creative writing, and poetry.
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Purely scholarly translation: covering philosophy, logic, religious works, and Sufism, the most difficult of all. Translators face sweat and toil here, and rightly so—the less one knows, the harder it is. Poetry, in particular, is considered the most difficult to translate. Dr. Johnson famously claimed that poetry cannot be translated, while Dr. Z. Ansari said: “Translating poetry is a branch that burns the fingers of scholars.” Yet translators have persevered: French and German poetry, the Masnavi of Rumi, the works of Saadi, Omar Khayyam’s quatrains, Kalidas’ Shakuntala, as well as Tagore, Ghalib, and Iqbal’s poetry have all been translated into English. This arduous journey continues, both in prose and, to a lesser extent, verse translations.
There are several methods of translation:
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Literal translation: faithful to the original but often awkward and dull.
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Interpretive translation: preserves the author’s meaning while using fluent and stylistically suitable language.
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Free translation: allows extensive adaptation but often loses the original’s literary value.
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Emotional translation: reshapes the story entirely, changing names, settings, or plots—this is effectively plagiarism.
Regarding the translator’s qualities:
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Mastery of both the source and target languages is essential. The source language allows understanding the original, while the target language ensures proper expression.
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Knowledge of grammar, idioms, proverbs, and figurative expressions in both languages is necessary, especially for literature and poetry.
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Cultural, historical, and geographical awareness of the source language is critical for accurate understanding.
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Familiarity with related languages (e.g., Persian and Arabic for Urdu; French and German for English) enhances translation quality.
The translator must read the text multiple times, mark difficult words, and consult dictionaries beforehand. Literary taste and poetic understanding are crucial for translating prose and verse respectively. In scholarly texts, deep knowledge of the subject is mandatory. The translator, in essence, lives with the original author, internalising their thought process to reach the core of the work.
Regarding neologisms, Urdu translators must often coin new terms, as Arabic, Persian, and Western scholars have done in their languages. For example, modern terms like ‘Aalimkari’, ‘Sarfeeyat’, and ‘Nijkar’ were coined in Urdu. Foreign words can be adopted if they suit Urdu’s style, as with biscuit, bread, glass, station, etc., even if their meanings differ from the original English usage.
Translation faces many practical challenges: idioms, regional phrases, cultural allusions, historical events, and literary metaphors often have no direct equivalents. Explanatory footnotes are frequently necessary. Poetry presents special difficulties, as illustrated by Ghalib, Mir, and Dagh’s works, where literal translation fails to convey context or aesthetic effect. Regional literature, such as localized customs in Hindi Anchalik Sahitya, poses similar challenges.
Historical references also complicate translation. For example, translating Urdu texts mentioning the Battle of Karbala, Battle of Badr, or Panipat for a Western audience requires extensive explanatory notes because the significance of these events is culturally specific. Proverbs and idioms rarely have direct equivalents, necessitating creative adaptation.
Cultural differences further complicate translation. For instance, the owl signifies foolishness in South Asia, but wisdom in the West; dogs are loyal friends in the West but scavengers in other contexts. Superstitions, numbers, and local customs often need explanation.
Translating between languages with similar structures is easier (e.g., Arabic or Persian to Urdu, or English to French/German), while English to Urdu presents unique challenges due to differing social usage and semantics. For instance, words like tumbler, bread, service, and dog may need contextual adaptation.
Many English expressions cannot be translated literally without losing meaning, e.g., dog days, dog fight, dog end, four-letter word, and idioms like in hot water. Even advertising slogans such as “Coca-Cola is an inner thing” or “We are made for each other” require creative translation.
Translation has a long and rich history, not originating in the West but in the East, beginning in the Abbasid era and extending through Spain, Persia, India, and the medieval Islamic world, with contributions from scholars like Al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, and later under Mughal patronage, including Akbar and Dara Shikoh. Urdu literature itself began largely with translations, from the Deccan to Northern India, with major works like Shah Waliullah’s Quran translations and others forming the earliest literary corpus.
Modern Urdu translators include a galaxy of luminaries such as Master Ramchand, Molvi Zakaiullah, Molvi Abdul Halim Sharar, Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa, Wahiduddin Salim, Syed Abid Hussain, Saadat Hasan Manto, Krishan Chander, Patras Bokhari, and others. The tradition continues endlessly, with numerous exemplary translations still in circulation.
