Microsoft Word Revised Syllabus Ver doc

Translation in Tamil Nadu
One cannot skip the grammatical works in Tamil literature where analyzing the 
history of translation in Tamil. Tolkappiar had spoken about compilation, expansion, 
condensation and translation. He had referred to translation in his verse as,
Tokuttal, virittal, tokaiviri, molipeyarttu
Atarpata ya:ttalootu anai marapinave (1597)
The nature of translation in the era of Tolkappiar was difficult to explain because the 
versions in other languages were taken into consideration in the source language. However, it 
could also be said that translation could have resulted in change of word order. The coalesce 
(kalappu) of languages were allowed even in the age of Tolkappiar. In the Sangam age and 
post Sangam period, translation was in vogue. In the Sangam period, the poets translated 
many stories from other languages and so the place of translation occupies a predominant 
place in this period. For instance, in the Sangam anthologies like Pattuppa:ttu, Ettuthokai, 
Purana:nu:ru, Pattinappa:lai there are many stories from other languages and hence in 
forming words the translation occupies an important role. With the arrival of Jains, bilingual 
methods of writing began. Religious reformations that took place in Saivisam, Vaishnavism 
and Buddhism introduced many stories and new foreign words which were related to 
religious borrowing of words through translation. Hence, it is observed that the word order in 
the age of Tolkappiar and Sangam age vary because of the tradition of borrowing on account 
of religious collaboration and competition.
Only after the 5th century A.D., translation came in the form of volumes until which 
they were given in excerpts. Maniprava:la style was prevalent during this era. Due to the 
impulse of religion in Tamilnadu in 7th century AD, Sanskrit bewitched Tamil language. 
Most of all translations were written in accordance with source language. Ramayana had its 
own fame in Tamil literature. Even before Kamban, stories of Ramanaya were found III 
Silapatikaaram, Paripadal and Thirugnanasambandhar Patikam. It appears in devotional 
literature Ramayana had occupied a unique place when compared to the stories of 
Mahabharata. Generally, from 14th to 19th century, epics were placed in a high position. 
During the 16th century, translation was undertaken vigorously. Among all puranas, 
Talapuranas were mostly translated. Veeramamunivar and F.W. Ellis translated Tirukkural in 
1891 and the translation of Tirukkural by Druwis was published between 1840 and 1852 
during which period many scientific translations started to appear.
In 1871, Pudukottai Sami Iyer translated the English version of "A manual of law of 
torts and of the measure of land" into Tamil which followed the hierarchical Tamil. 
Following the same style in 1885 V.P. Subramaniya Mudaliar translated a book entitled 
'Veterinary Science'. Science texts bloomed in Tamil following the foot steps of the above 
both. They gave importance to precession of artistic vocabulary.
In 1939, following H.A.Poppy's work, Ramachandra Dhikshithar translated 
Silappathikaram into English which was published in Madras by Oxford University Press. 
Many of the verses of Sangam age were also translated into English by A.K. Ramanujan and 
they were published by Indian and foreign publishers in the latter half of the previous 
century. Apart from these translations, many Tamil novels of Jayakanthan, N. Parthasarathy 
and M. Varadharajan were translated into other Indian languages.

---

135