All enthusiasts of Russian literature were pleased with two initiatives presented in Moscow last Thursday. Yeltsin Foundation announced at the RIA Novosti news agency about the launch of the Read Russia annual awards for the best foreign translation of Russian authors. The Institute of Translation was also presented. This non-profit organization will supervise and coordinate the activities of translators from and into Russian.
Although Russia ranks fourth in the world in terms of the annually published books (next to USA, China and UK), of which 12% are translations, the situation with translations is not very rosy, says Vladimir Grigoryev, deputy director of the Press and Mass Media Federal Agency. This might seem a strange opinion, given the growing market of translation services and the traditionally strong translation school in Russia. This is all true as far as translations from foreign languages into Russian are concerned. Yet the situation with translations from Russian into foreign languages is rather sad. In recent 20 years the number of Russian editions abroad has disastrously decreased – this regards both classical and modern literature. The system of foreign translations support created in the Soviet Union – from publication of books by Foreign Literature publishing association to invitation of foreign translators to the USSR – has fallen apart. As a result, interest in the Russian literature has notably flagged in the world. A vicious circle has been formed: no interest among the readership – no interest among the publishers – few good translations of Russian literature. The national school of translations from Russian into foreign languages is gradually fading too. Russia is ceding its positions as a literary superpower as it is impossible to keep afloat on an extremely mobile international book market with the help of obsolete translations of Russian classics. In the opinion of a Rospechat representative, “it is necessary to revive the interest of the next generation of linguists in Russian literature on these ruins.” This is the main reason for establishing the Institute of Translation.
Among its co-founders are reputable Russian educational and charity institutions: Moscow State University of Linguistics, Russian State University of Humanities, Gorky Institute of Literature, Pushkin House (Institute of Russian Literature at RAS), St. Petersburg University, Yeltsin Foundation, Library of Foreign Literature and others.
“A nation rises to greatness, when a grand-scale translation project is launched,” assures Vsevolod Bagno, Director of Pushkin House. “There were at least two such turning points in the history of Russia: in X-XI centuries, when Byzantine and Bulgarian books were translated into Russian, and the era of Peter the Great. Being a translator himself, Vsevolod is positive that a translation is a serious cultural undertaking, for you do not only obtain a text in the end, but also new knowledge, ideas, emotions. It’s difficult to foretell the cultural impact of a translated book. A certain French translator, a good friend of the Pushkin House experts, translated the Russian fairy-tales by Afanasyev. This edition became very popular in France and under its influence a fashion for reciting fairy-tales to kids appeared in this country.
There was another major translation project, reminds literary critic Dmitry Bak, academic provost of the Russian State University of Humanities – the Soviet one. He says The Institute of Translation has three strategic goals: the support of active translators; the support of publishers investing in Russian literature translations; training new generations of translators. The latter is especially difficult and impossible to achieve without the government’s backing. In the philologist’s opinion, to restore the school of translators, it is necessary to introduce a special course for a “translator of fiction” in the system of tertiary education. Now artistic translation as a specialization is diluted in contiguous disciplines – for instance experts in running translation are in much higher demand.
“The translation of belles-lettres is always an exploit,” says Bak. It’s hard to argue this point, especially when a good translation is in question. Meanwhile it’s not so easy to find high-quality products in the translation market. In this context institution of the Read Russia Awards is a valuable initiative. Four nominations – two for the translators of modern prose and poetry (written after 1990) and two for the translators and publishers of Russian literature of the XX century – will hopefully rally the translation community and start the much-needed “upward trend.”
The Institute of Translation has another challenge to meet. The system of translating ethnic literature into Russian that existed in the days of the USSR is no longer at work. And vice versa: Russian literature is not promoted in post-Soviet space. It should not be forgotten that the situation with the Russian language is getting worse there, which means that this wealth of the Russian literary heritage needs to be somehow brought to the local reader.
Besides general declarations, The Institute of Translation already has some tangible outlines. According to translator Evgeny Solonovich, one of the key ideas is founding the House of Translation. There are even some concrete proposals: one can be opened in Komarovo near St. Petersburg and another one in the Moscow region. Here foreign translators from Russian could visit with their colleagues from other nations and, what is most important, with their authors. This is extremely important for translators, Mr. Solonovich is convinced.
Both initiatives presented in Moscow inspire hope that modern-day Russian literature will get a chance to burst out of provincial isolation where it now abides. It is na
