Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: The Konknnes and the Kirrghes (or, A Once Upon a Time Translator's
--- CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at: http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/noticias.html --- I am a Konknni writer, writes in Roman script and Devnagiri script. Till date I have already published two short story books. Would there be one or more to translate my stories in other laguages, other than Konknni ? I want my stories to be published in other languages. It can even be published for Goanet readers. Can I hear something from you ? Vincy Quadros email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Fri, 11 May 2007 Goanet Reader wrote : The Konknnes and the Kirrghes or A Once Upon a Time Translator's Take on the Konkani Script Imbroglio By Augusto Pinto If you are confused about the controversies that erupt every now and then in Goa, then remember that you only have to know this: the teatro is all about the Konknnes and the Kirrghes. (Kirrghes is what witty Konknnes call the Cristaos; and if you don't know who Konknnes are what are you doing drinking in this bar? Vai se embora! Or voshimor, if you please.) --- Goanet recommends, and is proud to be associated with, 'Domnic's Goa' - A nostalgic romp through a bygone era. This book is the perfect gift for any Goan, or anyone wanting to understand Goa. Distributed locally by Broadway, near Caculo Island, Panjim internationally by OtherIndiaBookStore.Com. For trade enquiries contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: The Konknnes and the Kirrghes (or, A Once Upon a Time Translator's Take on the Konkani Script Imbroglio) Augusto Pinto
--- CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at: http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/noticias.html --- The Konknnes and the Kirrghes or A Once Upon a Time Translator's Take on the Konkani Script Imbroglio If you are confused about the controversies that erupt every now and then in Goa, then remember that you only have to know this: the teatro is all about the Konknnes and the Kirrghes. (Kirrghes is what witty Konknnes call the Cristaos; and if you don't know who Konknnes are what are you doing drinking in this bar? Vai se embora! Or voshimor, if you please.) Okay its also about the Saraswats and the Bahujan Samaj (some think this is the real natak -- but let's not confuse matters right now), the Mull Goenkars and the Moradores, the Brahmins and the Sudras, the Bamons and the Chaddes, the Konkniwadis and Marathiwadis and Englishwadis, Devanagari script and Roman script, the rich and the poor and the ugly and so on and so forth. But if you don't understand the main story, you'll never understand these sub-plots. And of course there are the Bhailles [in case you think I'm being derogatory let me have you know that I'm going to have all my daughters marry Bhailles. I wouldn't trust a Goenkar -- Konknno, Kirrgho, or Moir -- they drink too much, they smoke too much, they... (Whoa! This is a family program. -Ed. Okay, okay. -A.P.) Take for instance the Konkani script controversy: once you know that its all about the Konknnes and the Kirrghes, what more do you need to know. It's all about them squabbling over things like getting 1) government jobs for their family and friends and 2) awards like the Sahitya Akademi ones for the writers themselves. Personally I think its all rather silly, as nobody gets a government job because they knew this or that script, language or dialect. All one needs is the moolah. Look at any currency note and all the scripts and all the languages of India that anyone will ever require will be found on it. It's only a question of stuffing it in the right pockets. And as for the Sahitya Akademi awards, is it that such a big deal? Whoever read a book just because the writer won an Akademi award? Does a Gabriel Garcia Marquez care a hoot if the Argentinian Sahitya Akademi, or whatever it is they call it there, don't give him an award? Does Paulo Coelho lose sleep because he didn't get the Brazilian Akademi award? All the awards they want, they get from their publishers, every time they call to tell them their latest sales figures. It's not that I'm trying to pooh pooh the identity crises that hits some folks because their script or dialect is devalued, but everybody from the Pope to the pimp is battling one existential demon or the other, and these sob stories get terribly irksome after a while. The point I'm trying to make is that the real writer gets his kicks from having what he writes read by more and more people. And the only way that this can happen to Konkani writers, whose readership base is quite limited, is by having their work translated. at least into English, and hopefully into other languages as well,especially Marathi and Hindi. So instead of squabbling among themselves and with the Marathiwadis, Englishwadis and so on for pieces of a little battatwada, which doesn't taste too good anyway, what they should be doing is assiduously cultivating translators who can bring out the class of these writers. I'm presuming of course that there is genuine talent waiting to be unearthed. My own experiences in this regard are not especially sweet. Some seventeen odd years ago I, for some mad but noble reason, approached the editor of a Goan monthly with the idea that I'd showcase the best Konkani writers I could find. I translated, among others, Pundalik Naik's The Turtle, Chandrakant Keni's Hippie Girl, Damodar Mauzo's Theresa's Man and a short lyric by Tanaji Halarnkar called I am the Flower of a Datura Tree (the last by the way was the most difficult and took about three months before I was satisfied with the result.) I also translated but didn't publish Ravindra Kelekar's Ego, itself an adaptation of Albee's Zoo Story and which I feel would be a better version for Indian actors who usually murder foreign accents. After the editor fell out with me for some stupid reason not related to the translations the project ended. The work was quite tough given the speed at which I read Devanagri (this by the way is the biggest problem about getting good Konkani translators -- those capable of writing English of Literaary standards are often too slow at reading Konkani). The payment was embarrassing, and my name was printed in the finest point size possible at the bottom of the text. Still I enjoyed the work while it lasted. The curious thing
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: The Konknnes and the Kirrghes (or, A Once Upon a Time Translator's Take on the Konkani Script Imbroglio) by Augusto Pinto
--- CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at: http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/noticias.html --- The Konknnes and the Kirrghes or A Once Upon a Time Translator's Take on the Konkani Script Imbroglio By Augusto Pinto [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you are confused about the controversies that erupt every now and then in Goa, then remember that you only have to know this: the teatro is all about the Konknnes and the Kirrghes. (Kirrghes is what witty Konknnes call the Cristaos; and if you don't know who Konknnes are what are you doing drinking in this bar? Vai se embora! Or voshimor, if you please.) Okay its also about the Saraswats and the Bahujan Samaj (some think this is the real natak -- but let's not confuse matters right now), the Mull Goenkars and the Moradores, the Brahmins and the Sudras, the Bamons and the Chaddes, the Konkniwadis and Marathiwadis and Englishwadis, Devanagari script and Roman script, the rich and the poor and the ugly and so on and so forth. But if you don't understand the main story, you'll never understand these sub-plots. And of course there are the Bhailles [in case you think I'm being derogatory let me have you know that I'm going to have all my daughters marry Bhailles. I wouldn't trust a Goenkar -- Konknno, Kirrgho, or Moir -- they drink too much, they smoke too much, they... (Whoa! This is a family program. -Ed. Okay, okay. -A.P.) Take for instance the Konkani script controversy: once you know that its all about the Konknnes and the Kirrghes, what more do you need to know. It's all about them squabbling over things like getting 1) government jobs for their family and friends and 2) awards like the Sahitya Akademi ones for the writers themselves. Personally I think its all rather silly, as nobody gets a government job because they knew this or that script, language or dialect. All one needs is the moolah. Look at any currency note and all the scripts and all the languages of India that anyone will ever require will be found on it. It's only a question of stuffing it in the right pockets. And as for the Sahitya Akademi awards, is it that such a big deal? Whoever read a book just because the writer won an Akademi award? Does a Gabriel Garcia Marquez care a hoot if the Argentinian Sahitya Akademi, or whatever it is they call it there, don't give him an award? Does Paulo Coelho lose sleep because he didn't get the Brazilian Akademi award? All the awards they want, they get from their publishers, every time they call to tell them their latest sales figures. It's not that I'm trying to pooh pooh the identity crises that hits some folks because their script or dialect is devalued, but everybody from the Pope to the pimp is battling one existential demon or the other, and these sob stories get terribly irksome after a while. The point I'm trying to make is that the real writer gets his kicks from having what he writes read by more and more people. And the only way that this can happen to Konkani writers, whose readership base is quite limited, is by having their work translated. at least into English, and hopefully into other languages as well,especially Marathi and Hindi. So instead of squabbling among themselves and with the Marathiwadis, Englishwadis and so on for pieces of a little battatwada, which doesn't taste too good anyway, what they should be doing is assiduously cultivating translators who can bring out the class of these writers. I'm presuming of course that there is genuine talent waiting to be unearthed. My own experiences in this regard are not especially sweet. Some seventeen odd years ago I, for some mad but noble reason, approached the editor of a Goan monthly with the idea that I'd showcase the best Konkani writers I could find. I translated, among others, Pundalik Naik's The Turtle, Chandrakant Keni's Hippie Girl, Damodar Mauzo's Theresa's Man and a short lyric by Tanaji Halarnkar called I am the Flower of a Datura Tree (the last by the way was the most difficult and took about three months before I was satisfied with the result.) I also translated but didn't publish Ravindra Kelekar's Ego, itself an adaptation of Albee's Zoo Story and which I feel would be a better version for Indian actors who usually murder foreign accents. After the editor fell out with me for some stupid reason not related to the translations the project ended. The work was quite tough given the speed at which I read Devanagri (this by the way is the biggest problem about getting good Konkani translators -- those capable of writing English of Literaary standards are often too slow at reading Konkani). The payment was embarrassing, and my name was printed in the finest point size possible at the bottom of the text. Still I enjoyed the work
