Translation may be as old as language. It appears because humans need to communicate with other people who do not speak the same language, and this demand is compelling. There is no need for translation between co-speakers, because what they say can be directly understood. It is always aimed at people who are aliens in the linguistic sense; they speak different languages. A different language always implies a different culture, and the soul or soulless it represents.

Different cultures must interact, and translation provides the most effective channel for the spread of literary and cultural expressions from one society to another. In other words, translation is a story of cross-cultural communication and interaction. It is through translation that the thoughts, experiences and concepts of one society are transferred to another society, thus triggering the process of cross-cultural gestation. For example, it helps a wide range of things, such as trade, commerce, political relations, and conflict resolution. On a higher level, the translation of literary works has been/is an effective means to integrate cultures and promote the sharing of content that can be shared in a specific culture. Thanks to translation, great literary works have been/can be accepted by most people. We are no exception.

Waseem Gardezi's translation book, titled "Rung Rus", was published by Sanjh Publications, Lahore is a good sign. Gardezi is an excellent writer and translator. This book contains a selection of world short stories translated into Punjabi. 14 stories selected from different cultures, representing a series of impressive and famous fiction writers, such as Hermann Hesse, Knut Hamson, Najib Mahafoz, Ou Nei Hemingway, Mikhail Sholokhov, William Faulkner, Franz Kafka, Joseph Heller, Guy de Maupassant, Aldos Huxley, Erskine Caldwell and Ray Bradbury. In addition to translation, we also found a concise biography of the author carefully prepared by Gardezi. The purpose of these notes is to briefly introduce the great writers to Punjabi readers. The quality of the translations is good because they reflect a serious effort to convey the original narrative of the Punjabi story and evoke the cultural atmosphere hidden under the surface. Language and speech are not far apart, and their fluency makes them highly readable without losing literary embellishment. "Rung Rus" is an enjoyable book. Don't miss it.

Dictionaries are something we are all familiar with. Every literate person needs a dictionary in his/her own language or a foreign language at a certain point in time. If language is a product, it is a mysterious product; it is always bigger than its speakers imagine. Language will never fully expose itself to its speakers, because it will show itself in measures according to everyone's needs. Personal needs are always far less than what his/her language can satisfy. Language has the ability to become greater than the speaker knows at a given moment. Subsequently, it hides more than it reveals. The dictionary is one of the tools we try to measure its length and width. However, even the most comprehensive language dictionary cannot grasp its full scope. When a dictionary comes out of the printing press, the language will throw out some new words and phrases because of the continuous self-generation and self-expanding power of the language. But the dictionary is still a window to open the treasure trove of language secrets. Among them, students are those who often need dictionaries. Without the help of dictionaries, it is difficult to imagine teaching and learning in schools, colleges and universities. Even children need it to learn language and improve expression skills.

Lahore was aware of this need and therefore published the "Punjab Baal Dictionary" edited by Maqsood Saqib. The editor was helped by the Bhasha Vibhag Patiala Primary Punjabi Dictionary when preparing the relevant dictionary. The dictionary gives the meaning of words and their usage, thus clarifying how to use words in writing. For some strange reason, the popular alphabetical order has been abandoned and replaced by a new order, but there is no convincing explanation for such a radical decision. It can make the search term time-consuming and laborious, so it is very troublesome. Our children are more satisfied with our alphabetical order based on Arabic.

"In this dictionary, the words used or likely to be used by children in school are listed," the editor said. The statement is partly correct because some words are suitable for senior students. For example, in the title, we have the Punjabi words "Ukka" (totally, completely, completely), "Ukka Pukka" (total, all, in all, one-time), which is beyond the scope of most children in the city. This dictionary is a very good work. It satisfies an important need that our children have been neglected for a long time. This is very useful for children, especially for middle school students who take Punjabi as an elective course. The school must have it in their library. Without it, your personal library will get worse.

Have you heard of Bahavarnagar? This is a sleeping town that some people are paying attention to. But in fact this is an interesting area sandwiched between two rivers, the Hakla River and the Satledger River. Unfortunately, both have dried up. The former disappeared for natural reasons, but the latter was sold to India at a negligible price by one of our stupid rulers. Hakra supports a vibrant society, which is part of the Harappan civilization. With the sale of Sutlej, a fulcrum emerged, which made the future of the region not conducive to the loss of water, an important source of economic activity in the region. Not afraid of difficulties, it can boast of valuable agricultural production. Fortunately, the entire region has been deeply influenced by our great poet and mysterious Baba Farid in terms of literature and spirit. Poet and writer Saghir Tabassum tried to record the literary history of the region in his book "Asaan Chup Nahi Vattni Dharti Te" published by Lahore Print Media Press. This book "is a historical and critical evaluation of Bahawalnagar Punjabi literature..." the author said.

In fact, this is a history of poetry. Dozens of poets are included. Each entry has a biographical sketch of the poet, followed by a sample of his/her representative verse. This book is a collection of poems about various experiences that evoke the spirit of a particular area. This book is a commendable effort. — Soofi01@hotmail.com

Published on December 13, 2021 Liming

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