Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
অনুবাদে ‘অদৃশ্যতা’ ও বাংলা সাহিত্যের সাংস্কৃতিক রূপান্তর ড. নয়ন সরকার, স্বাধীন গবেষক, নদীয়া, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 31.03.2026 | Accepted: 07.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 46-52 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.267 | |||||||
‘Invisibility’ in Translation and Cultural Transformation of Bengali Literature Dr. Nayan Sarkar, Independent Research Scholar, Nadia, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
In the context of contemporary world literature, translation is not merely a mechanical process of linguistic transfer; rather, it represents a profound arena of cultural and political power struggles. In the light of Lawrence Venuti’s concept of The Translator’s Invisibility, this research paper analyses the role of the translator and the theoretical challenges involved in translating Bengali literature into English. Although conventional definitions often imagine the translator as a “transparent” or “invisible” entity, this study investigates the extent to which translators, in maintaining the dominance of the target language, compromise the cultural specificity of the source text. The paper is structured into three major sections. First, it examines Rabindranath Tagore’s self-translation of Gitanjali, analysing how the process of domestication, aimed at achieving universal spiritual appeal, transforms the indigenous tonal qualities of the original Bengali text. Second, it discusses how the rural folk culture, myths, and regional vocabulary in the works of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay are often subjected to a form of “cultural loss” in the hands of the “invisible” translator. Third, it highlights the necessity of foreignization strategies and the importance of the translator’s active political presence in the works of postcolonial writers such as Mahasweta Devi and Hasan Azizul Haque. Finally, the paper argues that in order to present Bengali literature in its authentic form on the global stage, the translator must break free from the paradigm of invisibility and emerge as a visible cultural representative. Only when translation challenges the grammar of the target language and preserves the “otherness” of the source text can an equitable dialogue between cultures be achieved. | ||
Keywords: Lawrence Venuti, Translator’s Invisibility, Bengali Literature, Domestication, Foreignization, Cultural Transformation, Postcolonialism |