3: Translating the Political: Telugu Writers and Soviet Publishers, 1950s-1980s

In this paper I examine the nearly one dozen Telugu writers who worked as translators for two Soviet publishing houses, Vidēśabhāṣā Pracuraṇālayaṃ [Foreign Languages Publishing House] and Pragati Pracuraṇālayam [Progress Publishers], between the 1950s and 1980s, with a particular focus on their translations of political writings and concepts. Given the paucity of biographical information for many of these Telugu writers and translators, the paper draws from the Telugu life narrative left by Uppala Laksmanarao (1898-1985), as well as a collection of essays appropriately titled Anuwāda Samasyalu [Translation Problems], written in Telugu by Racamallu Ramacandra Reddy, popularly known as Rā. Rā. (1922-1988). In examining their lives and translations, the paper pays particular attention to these authors’ incorporation of English glosses to clarify their introduction into Telugu of neologisms and new political concepts, and their new applications of existing terminology. These English glosses are often found in brackets within the translated texts, as well as in glossaries appended at the ends of texts. Addressing the conditions of translation, the development of political glossaries and dictionaries, and the role played by English lexical items in translating Communist writings into Telugu, the paper examines the role of Soviet publishing and translation efforts in influencing political thought in Telugu-speaking southern India.