CIIL Mysuru Hosts Scholars' Meet on Translating the Constitution

The National Translation Mission (NTM) of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, has convened a two-day interactive programme titled "Reflections on the Translation of the Constitution of India" on September 29 and 30, timed to International Translation Day, which is observed each year on September 30.

The event opened at the institute's Preview Theatre on Tuesday, drawing together 21 translators and language experts working across 11 Indian languages — Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Konkani, Sindhi, Maithili, Odia, Santhali, Assamese, Nepali and Bodo. The participants, drawn from universities and research institutions nationwide, are presenting their reflections in the languages they worked in.

The gathering offers a platform for translators, scholars and the NTM resource team to examine the linguistic, cultural and contextual questions that arise in rendering the Constitution into Indian languages. The translations were carried out by the NTM for the Ministry of Law and Justice.

In his presidential remarks, Prof. P.R. Dharmesh Fernandez, deputy director of CIIL, said translation goes beyond the transfer of words between languages and demands an understanding of cultural and civilisational contexts. He pointed to the relevance of linguistic and social sciences in studying the broader dimensions of the exercise.

Sunderdas V. Gohrani, former director of Official Language in Kanpur, spoke on the value of translating knowledge texts into Indian languages and on translation's role in opening knowledge to diverse linguistic communities.

Narayan B. Desai, a retired principal and translation expert associated with the Sindhi version of the Constitution, described translation as an engagement with languages, cultures and communities. Translators, he said, help communities make sense of a rapidly changing world shaped by migration and social transformation. "Translation is a lesson in harmony," he remarked.

Tariq Khan, officer-in-charge of the NTM at CIIL, traced the trajectory of the translation project, noting that discussions between the Ministry of Law and Justice and the NTM began in late 2022 and gathered momentum in 2023.

Across six academic sessions, the programme explores the experiences, challenges and insights thrown up by the translation work, along with the importance of making constitutional knowledge accessible in Indian languages. The sessions also consider how translation advances linguistic accessibility, inclusivity and multilingual engagement with the Constitution, and give the visiting experts a chance to interact with NTM staff involved in the project.

International Translation Day recognises the contributions of translators, interpreters, terminologists and other language professionals in enabling communication, fostering cultural exchange and building mutual understanding across linguistic boundaries.