Translation of Akhtaeruzzaman Elias’s “জাল স্বপ্ন, স্বপ্নপ্নর জাল"

Abstract

According to linguists there are five to six thousand languages in this globe. It is not possible to have knowledge of all languages of this world. Most of the translators learn to translate different texts over the years for different purposes such as social needs, political, economic or academic purposes, or simply for pleasure. The task of a translator involves the intended outcome of the language of the translated text that echoes the original one. It can be said that a translator’s task is to free a text from the fixed signs of its original shape with a view to making it known to the Target Language (TL) readers. A translated text makes a communicative affiliation among the author, the translator and the readers. The art of translation is considered as a creative act which requires both adaption and negotiation. In this act of art, translators negotiate between two languages, two cultures, and two different mind sets. This is the process which calls forth a deep understanding of the language they are translating from and a fluency in the language they are translating into. It is an intricate and creative process of acclimatizing one text into a new reality, mediating between the source and target language. Thus, the task of translators is not only complex and challenging but also highly creative. Anton Popovič notes that the translator has the right to differ organically and to be independent (85). Translators need to be independent for the sake of authenticity, if they are reproducing it as a living work. Thus, it can be said that translation is usually a task of solving “context” problems, where creativity “chimes in.”