TRANSLATION: SAFEGUARDING INDIGENOUS HERITAGE AND IDENTITY

This paper examines the significant role of translation in preserving and transmitting indigenous knowledge systems, folklore, oral epics, ecological wisdom, and cultural identity within India’s context of extraordinary diversity in  linguistic and culture. In India's cultural landscape there is a great blend of human heritage, which encompasses amazing linguistic diversity. Our heritage encompasses more than 700 distinct tribal and indigenous languages, alongside those uncountable oral traditions, both of which function fundamentally as the living vessels used for preserving ancestral knowledge and important traditional values. Nevertheless, this heritage currently confronts a silent and serious problem; numerous languages amongst these groups, such as Gondi and Santhali, now exist under a great, looming threat of complete extinction. This particular threat is caused by the intrusion of several powerful external pressures, which include the widespread effects of globalization, patterns of urban migration, and the forceful dominance exerted by major languages. The seriousness of this situation becomes highlighted by the verifiable fact that UNESCO has officially listed more than 197 different Indian languages as being endangered, highlighting the extremely urgent necessity for cultural intervention. Within this difficult context, the vital process of translation effectively transforms itself into a genuinely significant cultural act. Translation is clearly far more than merely a simple linguistic transfer; instead, it actively serves as an absolutely necessary safeguard specifically designed both to rescue and consequently to transmit deep human knowledge. The stated main purpose of this particular protective endeavour is fundamentally to ensure the guaranteed survival and ultimate revitalization of essential community wisdom. Through the practice of translating, various scholars and diverse community members are effectively securing valuable indigenous knowledge systems, historical folklore, detailed oral epics, critical ecological wisdom (such as specific knowledge of medicinal plants and principles of forest ecology), in addition to foundational cultural identity. Keywords: Translation, Indigenous Languages, Oral Epics, Cultural Identity, Linguistic Preservation, Tribal Narratives, Endangered Languages.