Head of English recognised for translation work

Head of English Gopika Jadeja received a prestigious award from English PEN – one of the world's oldest human rights organistations that advocates for the freedom to write and read – for translating Umesh Solanki's "Transformations" from Gujarati to English. 

Gopika is a bilingual poet and translator whose work has been published widely. She, along with five other translators in India, were selected for the PEN Presents, a new award by English PEN, for sample translations. According to English PEN, the award "aims to fund literary translators' work of creating samples, give publishers better access to titles from underrepresented languages and regions, and help diversify the translated literature landscape." The samples of translated work will be shared with publishers of literature for the chance of becoming published. 

"The English PEN award for translation, PEN Presents, that I received for my translation work is a recognition of the power of the Dalit literary movement in bringing about a paradigm shift in the literary landscape of India," Gopkia said. "One of the reasons I joined the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad is that I believe the impulses that lead me to translate literatures from marginalised communities will find a home here. I teach literature because it allows me to explore the world with students. And I believe the Aga Khan Curricular Strands and the vision and mission of the Aga Khan Academies allow me to read and explore with students the inequities in our social and economic systems and in our cultural hierarchies. What I do with my work in translation, I also do in my classroom."