Written Task 1.docx

Part 1: Language in a Cultural Context Prescribed Topics: Translation (what is added and what is lost), Language and Taboo (swearing, political correctness), Sexuality (its construction through language) Text(s): ‘Stray Birds’ by Rabindranath Tagore; translated by Feng Tang Level: Higher Level Language and Literature Word count for the Rationale: 286 Word count for the Written Task: 990

Hiya Goyal

Rationale: In order to demonstrate my understanding of Part 1: Language in cultural context, I chose to write a report to the Chinese Ministry of Education, addressing my concern from the perspective of an Indian educator about the presence of translated literature within the education system. I specifically focused on the recent example of Rabindranath Tagore’s Stray Birds being translated by Feng Tang into a racier version that takes from the initial themes of the poems in order to appeal to the minister to promote removing these books from school facilities and replacing them with more accurate translations so that there is not a universal misinterpretation of the poems by those who do not have the means of reading the original. There were many techniques that I had used to support my stance on the issue. I chose to cite more than just the original source and provided the opinion of other scholars to make this more of an academic piece that will be potentially read by a board to endorse the changes. I also chose to include Tang’s original Chinese to show the minister of the impact of the translation being the only source that a non-English speaking reader has to interpret, thereby making it their only understanding of the original. I chose to do a report because I wanted this to pertain to a population rather than an individual, however, I chose to include the minister’s name prior to my introduction. This was done so to address them without having to include personal opinion or request that they reply. By evaluating the translation, I have come to understand the impact of Tagore’s work on Western literature and how a translation can hinder understanding between two parties.

Addressing: Chen Baosheng, Minister of Education for the People’s Republic of China Prepared by: Anita Karwal, Chairperson for India’s Central Board of Secondary Education Introduction: Rabindranath Tagore (1861 May – 1941 August) is commemorated for his various accomplishments, all of which put him at the forefront of South Asian literary legendry (Jack, 2011). Best known for his Nobel Prize in Literature 1913 (Jack, 2011), he pioneered reverence for Asian literary works in the modern world by being the first Asian Nobel laureate and his work is especially enjoyed in China, considering that the lyrical poetry collections are a staple in the Chinese education system. In the last century, his book, Stray Birds, has been translated by various authors and translators, however, China had become notorious for a single book which was written by a single man, besmirching the themes and intentions of Tagore’s original by sexualizing what was to be pure and serene. Feng Tang is a famous but frankly controversial Chinese author. His many works have been met with both praise and criticism; praise for the satirical and comical approach to express his disdain for the assimilated nation that is communist China and criticism for his sexually charged publications being considered by Chinese censorship as pornographic despite his target demographic being more adolescentbased (Dahl, 2016). His most recent work was an attempt to translate Tagore’s timeless verse into a more coming-ofage Chinese rendition, however, in doing so, he took away from the necessary chastity of the original version. This investigation will serve as an attempt to understand the loss of the original meaning in the translation and its significance. Methodology: To address the impact of the differences between the two texts, specific research was conducted on the lines that we changed between the two and how these alterations are relevant to the new work being flawed. Due to the immediate removal of Tang’s book from the shelves almost immediately, it was not possible to get a copy of the complete translation but the most contentious phrases were found in multiple online articles and so, they were used to make the final comparison. The aim of this report is to address the mistake of still using the translated version in select Chinese schools despite its evident deviation from the original themes. There are many government schools in China that use Tang’s version simply due to their lack of funds (Dahl, 2016) and it is encouraged to reallocate education funds and donations to provide underprivileged students with a more insightful education by providing books that will highlight the timelessness of Stray Birds without the misinterpretation of the book being passed as a pornographic piece rather than a ballad expressing a spiritual love that extends beyond love for a man or woman. Overview of Findings: “The world puts off its mask of vastness to its lover. It becomes small as one song, as one kiss of the eternal” (Tagore 1) Tagore is an international household name for his profoundly chaste and sensitive verses, such as the one above. With a consummate passion, he was able to break away from the Western mold of ideal English poetry and ignited the spark for other Asian artists to strive towards such greatness as well. A prevalent example of Tang’s convoluted translation is of the previous quote from the original work: 大千世界在情人面前解开裤裆, 绵长如舌吻纤细如诗行 "The wide world unzipped its crotch to its lover. Long as a tongue kiss, small as a line of a poem." (Humes, 2015)

Language has eternally been a source of communication and amalgamation among people of a homogenous nature but can nevertheless also be the source of disputes and discords as misunderstanding is a by-product of the lingual interpretation (Siddiek, 2010). Translation is an attempt made to overcome this language barrier, with someone required to be the messenger between the speaker and the audience, however, mistranslations can serve as a threat rather than ammunition and Tang’s translation was a metaphorical attack on Tagore’s version. Due to this altered story, a whole population is subject to assume that the work was meant as another erotic poem rather than a piece considered to be of Tagore’s connection to his religion and culture. In 2016, it was found that all the pulled copies of Tang’s book were placed in underfunded schools to be used as educational material (Zhou, 2015). These children will witness phrases such as this: "The great Earth makes herself hospitable with the help of the grass." (Tagore 91) This verse was meant to spotlight Tagore’s appreciation for the external holy forces that allowed him and his family to live a fruitful life. Tang’s version is far from holding this sentiment, stating: 由于绿草, 地球变得非常角质 "Because of green grass, the great Earth becomes quite horny." (Humes, 2015) Ye Qingchen (Dahl, 2016) stated that rather than claiming the work to be a translation of Stray Birds, it was a series of his own poems, which strays from what is considered a translation. Titling the book as a literary creation, he could have avoided controversy and also prevent Chinese education systems from having to detract from the initial text, giving readers a chance to understand the contemporary meaning rather than Fang’s creative interpretation. This version of the text is not suitable for youth to study in an education environment, simply due to its dependence on innuendo and generic sexual tropes, however, this does not serve as the main reason as to why this book is not recommended by the Indian CBSE. The theme of Tang’s Stray Birds misshapes the less subjective beauty that Tagore lyricized and made it to be a more fleeting sort of sensuality. The book not only reinforces a perverse outlook on love but misconstrues the themes for millions of people. References: Dahl, Jordyn. “How Far Can a Translator Stray?” Beijing Review. N.p., 14 Jan. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2018. Humes, Bruce. “China's Literary Police to Feng Tang: Don't Touch Our Tagore!” Paper Republic: Chinese Literature in Translation. Paper Republic. 24 Dec. 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2018. Jack, Ian. “Rabindranath Tagore was a global phenomenon, so why is he neglected?” The Guardian. N.p., 7 May. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2018. Siddiek, Ahmed G. “The Impact of Translation on Language Acquisition and Knowledge Transfer in the Arab World” Shagra University, vol. 16, no. 4, 2010, pp 556-567. Tagore, Rabindranath. Stray Birds. New York: Cosmo Classics, 2004. Print. Zhou, Raymond. “Lust in translation” China Daily. N.p., 21 Dec. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2018.