Comparative analysis of Hindi, Bengali and Assamese translations of a section of Goethe's 'Faust'

Abstract

Based on the beginning of a key scene, "Nacht", this study examines how Goethe's Faust has been transformed by Hindi, Bengali and Assamese translations; i.e. what is conveyed as "Faust" through these. Though in general true to the original, the translations diverged in some respects: the realia of, and allusions to, the multiple secular and religious realities of mediaeval Europe were difficult or even impossible to reproduce adequately; some concepts were lacking in the target languages, whereas others could only be inadequately transferred; at times Islamic or Hindu elements were introduced. Thus the original was refashioned to accord with the target cultural and linguistic givens. In this, the individual translators, their goals and proclivities, clearly played the decisive role, making it difficult, if not impossible, to bring any overarching theory of translation into play.