He spotlights his translation of 18th-Century Malay tale Hikayat Raja Babi as an example of how the storytelling styles in translation have varied across generations and cultures, even with the same source material.
While obscure, the fantastical story of Hikayat Raja Babi has seen a multiplicity of translations, which, he says, “point to an interconnected textual world that’s dazzlingly fantastical, yet relatable to its audience in terms of its struggles.”
Translating intent over the literal
The art of translation sometimes takes a more abstract form when ensuring cross-cultural idiosyncrasies can be understood by an audience different to the originally intended one. Historical texts and literature dealing with fiction tend to function somewhat metaphorically, and so, a unique set of challenges arises when translators have to present anecdotal narratives to an audience unfamiliar with certain lived experiences.
“I feel, as a producer [and] translator, I’d like for there to be some frustration when encountering a text,” Dr Nazry says. “And the way to go about it as a translator is to selectively leave in some of the text’s original words, such that, in context, [the reader] can guess at the meaning of the work.”
You might observe such a technique in translated works when words have been phonetically converted from the text’s original language. While this might be a challenge for translators as it demands both artistic and cultural sensibilities, it also presents its own reward to readers who seek to have their views broadened, granting translated works a new role.
“One of the pleasures of life is to think in different modes and move outside your comfort zone,” he says. I think casual readers need that kind of mental flexibility and challenge.”
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