New Delhi, June 3, 2026: Creative translation contributes to the building of civilizations and therefore cannot be confined by geographical boundaries, said Dr. Varun Gulati, Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, while inaugurating a translation workshop at the Russian House here on Wednesday.

The workshop focused on literary translation from the Russian language into Indian languages.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Gulati said that world civilizations travel through stories and that these stories reach people across cultures primarily through translation. Languages, he noted, undertake journeys across the world, carrying timeless literary works that embody values such as love, justice and humanity, which help societies seek solutions to common challenges.

He observed that translation is not merely the transfer of words from one language to another, but also carries the deep imprints of civilizations embedded within those words. Translation, he said, serves as a bridge through which the emotions, experiences and cultural expressions of different societies reach one another. He emphasized that translation is a highly responsible task, as translators, in many ways, act as representatives of civilizations.

Referring to advances in artificial intelligence, Dr. Gulati said machine translation may be possible through AI, but literature transcends the capabilities of machines. He added that Russian literature is deeply rooted in human values and should reach a larger readership in Indian languages through quality translations. He also assured full support from the Sahitya Akademi for such initiatives.

The workshop was attended by noted translator Ranjana Saxena, Dr. Banerjee, and the workshop coordinator Anastasia Ilyushina.

Speaking on the occasion, Ranjana Saxena said literature gains new life through translation, making creative translation an extremely significant literary activity. She noted that such translation workshops help foster goodwill and mutual understanding between cultures.

A translation competition was also organized as part of the workshop. The results of the competition will be announced on June 5, 2026.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar