Archive · 18 Jan 2026
India's Translation Boom Faces Structural Challenges
At the Jaipur Literature Festival, writers and translators discussed the boom in translating Indian literature into English.
While there's a lot of translation happening, they agreed that there's no clear plan or structure to make these translations meaningful.
They talked about how publishers focus more on selling books than on building a shared literary field.
Vivek Shanbhag, a famous writer, started a project called Hyphen to help discover and translate Indian literature properly.
They worry that English might change how these stories are told, and they want to make sure the translations are good for everyone, not just for awards or sales.
Translated Indian literature is thriving but lacks a cohesive narrative and structural framework.
Publishers prioritize marketability over building a shared literary field, leading to redundancy and untouched literary terrains.
The absence of cross-linguistic dialogue is a significant structural flaw in Indian literary translation.
Vivek Shanbhag co-founded Hyphen to focus on translating Indian literature with a more thoughtful approach.
The discussion highlighted the need for institutional patience and deeper engagement with Indian languages and literature.
- Who
- Vivek Shanbhag, Rita Kothari, Arunava Sinha, and other literary figures
- What
- Discussion on the challenges and opportunities in translating Indian literature into English
- When
- During the Jaipur Literature Festival
- Where
- Jaipur, India
- Why
- To address the lack of a cohesive narrative and structural issues in the translation of Indian literature
- Key Figures
- Vivek Shanbhag, Rita Kothari, Arunava Sinha
- Event
- Jaipur Literature Festival
- Translation Issues
- Lack of narrative, incoherence, market-driven publishing
- Hyphen Initiative
- Biannual magazine, publishing house, digital platform
- Notable Works
- Ghachar Ghochar, Sakina’s Kiss, Tomb of Sand
- Languages Discussed
- Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam
- International Recognition
- Global publishing platforms, prize lists
- Structural Flaw
- Absence of cross-linguistic dialogue