Bridging the gap: Translation and the politics of languages in India | 7 April 2022

Commissioned by the British Council in 2020-21, the 'India Literature and Publishing Sector Study' is a pioneering primary-research project aimed at understanding the challenges faced by Indian publishers, agents, authors, translators and industry bodies when making literature written in Indian languages more widely available to an international English-speaking audience.
The extensive study brings together insights from 100 stakeholders, charting the current publishing and translation ecosystem across ten Indian states to present insights covering eight focus languages. The report closely examines the perceptions of Indian literature in English translation abroad, the sector’s skilling needs and gaps, the role of literary festivals and events, trends in digitisation, as well as intersections with the National Education Policy 2020. The outcome of the research identifies opportunities for working and collaborating more globally, specifically with the UK, in order to promote Indian literature in translation, going forward.
This digital panel, the final in a series of conversations in India and the UK, will present the report’s key findings followed by a discussion on the market for translations, the politics of languages in India, and the implications of new trends in the sector.

Speakers:
Vasudhendra
Author and Publisher, Chanda Pustaka
Neeta Gupta
Publishing Director, Tethys Books and Co-founder, Publishers’ Exchange
Gita Ramaswamy
Managing Trustee, Hyderabad Book Trust
Kannan Sundaram
Managing Director, Kalachuvadu Publication
J Devika
Historian and translator