• Priyangwada Perera on translating Surath de Mel’s ‘Lamuthu Amaya’ to English

Translations of novels play an important role in widening the readership of a novel or author and also increasing accessibility to literature. In a country like Sri Lanka, where people read and speak Sinhala, Tamil, and English, but not necessarily all three, translations enable readers of one language to enjoy the literature of another.

Taking literary work written in Sinhala to readers of English is Priyangwada Perera, whose most recent translation is Surath de Mel’s ‘Lamuthu Amaya’, which was translated to English as ‘Wid Kierdo’. Perera is the Executive Editor (English) for Sarasavi Bookshop and a former feature writer and sub-editor. “I was also a teacher of elocution, English, and English literature, working in government service, but I left school-teaching after five years,” she said in conversation with The Daily Morning.

Perera went on to discuss the importance of translations, her approach to translations, and the challenges she faced when translating de Mel’s work.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

How did you get into translation work? What draws you to it?

I have been a voracious reader of both Sinhala and English from childhood. My parents provided me with enough books from both languages. Then, my school’s English library – Srimal Fernando who launched the Carmel English Library at Holy Cross College, Gampaha – made me read in a frenzy. Reading all those Enid Blyton books, ‘Nancy Drew’ and ‘Hardy Boys’, I thought, one day I must translate these to Sinhala. But by the time I grew up, they got translated.

I never thought I would be translating to English. As a child, I never knew I would be good enough to do that. But for my previous workplace, M.D. Gunasena Publishers, I did almost 30 translations of Sinhala children’s stories; 22 of them Sybil Wettasinghe’s books and another 20, retellings of fairy tales in English.

The main reason I love translations is how it enables a different set of readers to enjoy an exceptionally beautiful or thought-provokingly moving book, even if they do not know the language it is originally written in. Translations open your eyes to the world. I had a lot of regard for translators since I have read loads of Russian books or books from the former Soviet Union in Sinhala.

Sri Lanka has had a wealth of translators where Russian books were concerned. Also, the Sinhala translations of Chinese and English books. Those were mostly my mother’s books. I grew up on those books – piles and piles of them. As a child, I was deeply moved by the extraordinary translations of Vijitha Gunarathne, who translated to Sinhala from Swedish.

As I grew up, instead of abandoning those books from childhood, I used to think how these translators must have come up with such words and terms to match the original. I must also mention Chintha Lakshmi Sinhaarachchi and Sugathapala de Silva, whose brilliant translations impacted me. I loved their work to an extent where I went looking for the English translations of the books by these Sinhala authors. But some of these Sinhala books were even better than the English translation. I did not read to study their language but in the process, I became conscious of it and started admiring and appreciating this skill.

How do you approach translations?

I try to preserve the original voice as much as I can. Even though there is a very obvious transition which happens in the process, I believe that the author’s voice should not be silenced by the translator. But one has to remember this is not translating word-to-word like you do with an educational textbook or manual. If the emotion does not get translated or the cultural connotations get lost or distorted in the translation process, I feel it becomes a failure. So, my greatest attempt when translating is to not make these mistakes.

What kind of books have you translated so far?

The majority are children’s books. But ‘Wid Keirdo’, which is the latest, is not necessarily a children’s book. It should ideally be read by grown-ups. Children, of course, would embrace it with so much joy. 

How do translations benefit both authors and readers?

Translations expand our readership. When a book is translated, the story goes to more people. The author gets read and recognised by more people. When someone writes in a language like Sinhala, taking that book to the rest of the world is near impossible because Sinhala is not really spoken anywhere else in the world. But when there is a translation, it instantly goes global. In some ways, the original writer benefits more than the translator. Readers get more exposure and the world is brought to their hands in a translation.

You recently translated Surath de Mel’s ‘Lamuthu Amaya’ to English. What made you choose this book?

‘Lamuthu Amaya’ is a timely book addressing crucial problems in education. It looks at school as an institution and the role of educators. I think it is essential that this type of book is read by all. ‘Wid Keirdo’ is the name I have given to the translation and if you know of the many challenges handled by schools – be it national or international schools – you would definitely enjoy this book. This shows life as it is. The book nudges you to re-think your expectations on education. So, I felt it is an essential read, told in a light and funny manner.

Tell us about the story and what makes it an important read?

It is the story of a child attending an international school, his parents, school authorities, and friends. The narrator is the child and how much he is understood by those around him and those responsible for his welfare is the deciding factor.

It also focuses on the tug-o-war between parents, students, teachers, and administrators. This is the plight of our country. We have just taken things for granted or we are ignorant. This book can be read by everyone; a child or an adult, an educationist or a parent. More importantly, it is a thought-provoking book. It challenges you to re-think and make a change.

What kind of feedback have you received for it?

It was newly launched and still being read. Feedback takes a little time. But those who read it initially, my foreign friends, have given me good feedback. They have told me that the first-person style was very much enjoyed. Also, the point of view of a child was found to be distinctive. One commented that she liked the fact that the child’s voice was not infantilised at all.

Did you face any challenges in translating the book? Did you work in collaboration with de Mel to overcome these challenges and do justice to the story?

It definitely was a challenging task. Throughout the novel, Surath de Mel uses anagrams. In Sinhala, since letters directly represent sounds, it is much easier to manipulate names or words. It is easier to be creative without losing their phonetic integrity. When parts of names or syllables are switched around, it still sounds meaningful or recognisable. The structure of Sinhala language makes it much more flexible for wordplay.

But in English, spelling of words doesn’t always directly correspond to how they are spoken. Then, reversing or swapping parts of words can result in it sounding like gibberish. That is not the desired effect. This needed a lot of concentration.

Apart from that, I had to remember this is Surath de Mel’s book. He has a significant style. His word play is fantastic. His thinking is unique. What magic he does with Sinhala is absolutely hard to be grasped and converted to English where the language can be quite limited at times. There were certain very Lankan idioms and phrases used by the author. I never wanted it to sound Singlish. Ultimately, targeting a non-Sinhala readership, finding an English equivalent was the best I could do in doing it justice. Those were daunting tasks.

Yes, Surath had to be there in the process. He came all the way to discuss these difficulties and both of us agreed on what changes we could make. He was supportive and flexible in these things.  

How was the transition from translating for young readers to adult readers?

I closely followed the original author’s lead. It is definitely easier to translate for adults or young adults than it is for children. You do not have to worry a lot about the meanings conveyed or the language. That probably was the only thing I did not have to worry about.

Do you plan on translating more of de Mel’s work or are there any other novels you’d like to translate?

There was one of his which I badly wanted to do, but working full-time and finding time for these things is very tough. That is a bigger novel. I have certain things in mind. Let’s see what time permits me. I definitely want to continue, but I am being accused of not writing my own book. So, if I find enough time, ideally, I should be doing that. Nevertheless, I take great pleasure in translating.