Title: Global Perspectives and Emerging Dimensions of Multidisciplinary Research
Chief Editors: Dr. Jagdish Kumar Sahu and Ms. Machado Sneha John
Associate Editors: Dr. Sree Lakshmi Ammanamanchi and Dr. Divya R. Patel
Co-Editors: Mr. Hruthik J. R and Dr. Shishira Srinivasa
ISBN: 978-93-7183-027-0
Chapter: 9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59646/833/09
Author: Mr. M Marichamy
Abstract
Translation is not merely the transfer of words from one language into another; it is also the negotiation of cultures, identities, histories and worldviews. This becomes particularly significant when a regional Tamil literary work rooted in a specific linguistic and cultural environment is translated into English. Ki. Rajanarayanan’s Gopallapurathu Makkal, translated into English as People of Gopallapuram by Shubashree Desikan, presents the cultural life of a South Indian village through regional speech, folklore, customs, caste relations, agricultural practices, beliefs and collective memory.. This article examines People of Gopallapuram from a Translation Studies perspective, with particular attention to cultural translation, dialect, folk expressions, orality, social identity, caste markers and the representation of rural space. It argues that the translation of Rajanarayanan’s work involves a continuous negotiation between accessibility and cultural particularity. The translator’s task is not simply linguistic substitution but cultural mediation. The article further argues that the translated text enables the village to travel beyond its original linguistic and geographical boundaries while traces of its Tamil cultural identity.
Keywords: Ki. Rajanarayanan, People of Gopallapuram, Translation Studies, cultural translation, Karisal literature, dialect, folklore, orality, regional identity