"The World as India: The St. Jerome Lecture on Literary Translation" is an essay by Susan Sontag. This
essay is included in her collection titled At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches,
published posthumously in 2007.
In this essay, Sontag delves into the complexities of literary translation, discussing the challenges
and nuances involved in rendering texts from one language into another. She reflects on the cultural and
linguistic intricacies that translators must navigate to preserve the essence and meaning of the
original work.
The title metaphorically references India to symbolize the vast diversity and richness of world
literature, emphasizing the importance of translation in bridging cultural divides and enhancing global
understanding.
On translation, not losing details and why complex metaphors and adaptations are better than literal
translations
Translator vs the interpreter
Meaning vs the sense
How "free" can a responsible translation be?
...translation...is a complex necessity...There is the intrinsic value of making known, across a linguistic
border, an essential text. There is also a value in connecting with something that is different from what we
know, with foreignness itself.