Scope of translating Indian languages huge: German publisher

Although Indian writers in English like Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth and Salman Rushdie are read widely in Germany, there is great possibility of translating regional languages into German, says a visiting publisher.
"Though Indian authors like Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie are widely known to Germans, they still form a small fraction of authors from India whose works are translated from English language. There is a great possibility of translating Indian literature in regional languages to German," says Friederike Barakat of Hanser Verlag, a Munich-based publishing house.
Barakat was in the city to participate in the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair here.

Terming cultural and political similarities as well as those in thought process a common ground between India and Germany, she expressed hope that the two countries move forward for more fruitful exchanges in literature.
"Common focal points such as focus on works of ecology, politics, philosophy and gender in Indian and German literature will further pave the way for Indo-German exchange in literature via publishing," she says.
Friederike Barakat was in conversation with publisher Arpita Das of Yoda Press at a session at the Fair last evening.
Das pointed out both India and Germany had faced tragedies which brings the two countries even closer in terms of literature, making way for greater Indo-German exchange in terms of literature.

"Germany was subject to the Holocaust while Partition was the Indian Holocaust. While tragedies are not a legacy of one single nation, literature is a way to cleanse oneself of negative memories," says Das.