Negotiating Cultural (Un) translatability in Devkota’s Pagal and The Lunatic

Abstract

The translation of Devkota’s Pagal into The Lunatic by himself is an equivalent linguistic transfer from source to the target language. The paper observes the literary gaps in the course of linguistic transfer between the Pagal and its English translation. The transfer of its cultural, emotional, religious and spiritual uniqueness has created a negotiating space to the target reader. Therefore, the English version of Pagal struggles to carry the essence of the poet’s experience in its fullest form. The paper adopts translation approaches, methods and theories as a conceptual frame under a qualitative approach. Clifford E. Lander’s view in literary translation, Jiri Levi’s ‘On the Poetics of Translation’, and Anthony Appiah’s theory of ‘Thick Translation’ serve as the major conceptual gateway to assess Devkota poem and its translated equivalence. The study unfolds the compromise presented in the target text, contending the cultural, religious, emotional and spirituals nuances which remain partially transferable. The English version of ‘Pagal’ proves as a creative reimagination of its original, not merely a linguistic transfer of Pagal. The representation of linguistic richness, religious annotations, and emotional dynamics is under- question and carves a new space in translation. Interestingly, even in auto-translation, the target text fails to capture the multilayered meaning, linguistic/literary nuances; therefore, a complete literary translation is impossible.