TRANSLATING INDIAN AND ENGLISH NARRATIVES THROUGH FOLKLORE

The cultural heritage, values, and worldview of various communities are vividly reflected in Indian folklore, which includes myths, legends, folktales, songs, and a wide range of oral traditions passed down through generations. Because of India’s immense linguistic diversity, deep cultural specificity, regional variations, and distinctive oral narrative styles, translating Indian folklore into English presents not only significant challenges but also meaningful opportunities for these stories to reach a global audience. The process of translation must therefore navigate issues of cultural nuance, symbolic meaning, and performative elements of storytelling. At the same time, it offers a pathway for wider recognition and appreciation of India’s rich narrative traditions. This essay explores how translation contributes to the preservation and revitalization of Indian folklore, evaluates the methods and strategies translators use to convey both meaning and cultural context, and emphasizes how thoughtful translation can profoundly influence cultural comprehension, cross-cultural engagement, and long-term heritage conservation