In this blog post, we celebrate women in translation month by sharing some amazing translators, their recent victories and what it means for translated literature in India.
August is globally celebrated as Women in Translation Month, a time to shine a spotlight on female authors and translators whose works might otherwise go unnoticed, especially those writing in or translating from non-English, regional, or indigenous languages.
In the Indian literary landscape, Women in Translation Month holds particular significance. India is a country of many languages, and women writing in languages like Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Urdu, Bengali, Assamese, and others often do not receive their due on the national or global stage unless their work is translated. This makes translation not just an artistic choice, but a literary necessity.
Below, we spotlight a few key Indian women authors and translators who have been instrumental in shaping this space. This is our small way of celebrating women in translation month.
Note: This list is not exhaustive. India is home to an extraordinary number of women authors and translators across every language, region, and background. What we share here is only the tip of the iceberg, showcasing just a handful of voices making powerful contributions.
Women in Translation Month
5 Women Translators Championing Indian Literature
1. Daisy Rockwell
Best known for translating Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand, which won the International Booker Prize 2022, Rockwell’s translations have given Hindi women writers a powerful global platform. Her sensitive, poetic style retains the soul of the original while making it resonate internationally.
2. Rakhshanda Jalil
A force in Urdu literature, Rakhshanda Jalil has translated the works of feminist icons like Ismat Chughtai and Qurratulain Hyder, opening up their fierce, fearless narratives to a whole new generation of readers.
3. Jayasree Kalathil
A translator and mental health advocate, Kalathil’s translation of Diary of a Malayali Madman by N. Prabhakaran brought attention to the intersection of regional literature and psychological depth—especially through a feminist lens.
4. Meena Kandasamy
Though primarily known as a poet and novelist, Kandasamy’s role as a self-translator (translating her Tamil works into English) is a vital contribution to this conversation. Her work reflects themes of caste, gender, and resistance.
5. Gita Hariharan
As a writer, editor, and translator, Hariharan has worked to preserve and reinterpret myth, folklore, and feminist narratives in the Indian context. Her contribution to both original writing and translation has helped reshape literary discourse in India.
Recommended Reads: A List of Books We Recommend for Women in Translation Month.
Recent Victories in Translations
Daisy Rockwell’s groundbreaking win of the International Booker Prize in 2022 for Tomb of Sand, translated from Hindi, marked a historic moment for Indian literature in translation. It was not just a win for the author Geetanjali Shree, but a resounding validation of the power of regional language stories crossing linguistic borders.
This momentum continued in 2025 with The Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (Translated by Deepa Bhashti), another translated work, clinching the same prestigious prize—further reinforcing that translated literature from the Global South has not only arrived but is being celebrated on the world stage.
These back-to-back wins have paved the way for a deeper, more respectful engagement with Indian languages in global literary spaces, showing publishers, readers, and critics alike that stories told in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Bengali or any other Indian tongue are just as universal, moving, and necessary as any written in English.
Women in Translation month here becomes a small way of celebrating the terrific work being done by these brilliant translators and writers.
The Rise of Translation Studies in India: From Classrooms to Book Covers
In recent years, the importance of literary translation in India has seen a remarkable surge, not just in publishing, but also within academic spaces. Prestigious institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), University of Hyderabad, Ashoka University, Ambedkar University Delhi, and many others have begun offering specialized courses, diplomas, and even degrees in translation studies. These programs focus on both theory and practice, training the next generation of translators in cross-cultural communication, ethics of translation, and literary nuances across Indian and international languages.
This academic shift mirrors a broader cultural change: translators in India are no longer silent facilitators working behind the scenes. They are being recognized as co-creators. Today, many Indian publishers proudly feature translators’ names on the book covers, a long-overdue acknowledgement of their intellectual and creative contribution.
The change is also visible in how literary prizes are evolving. Prestigious awards such as the (now defunct) JCB Prize for Literature and the International Booker Prize now offer equal recognition, including a split of the prize money, to both the author and the translator. This not only offers financial support but also boosts the visibility of the translator’s work, encouraging more talented linguists to pursue literary translation as a viable, respected career.
For a multilingual country like India, where literary treasures abound in every regional language, this shift is crucial. Translators are the bridge that carry these rich narratives across linguistic boundaries, allowing them to resonate with wider audiences, both within India and globally. As translation earns its rightful place in both academia and publishing, it’s clear that the translator is no longer in the footnotes. They are front and centre of India’s literary movement.
In Other Words – A Podcast for Translators
At Keemiya Creatives, we deeply value the art and responsibility of literary translation. That’s why we host a dedicated podcast: In Other Words, where we talk to translators from across languages, genres, and backgrounds.
They share their journeys, challenges, and the sheer joy of bringing stories across linguistic and cultural borders.
🎧 Follow the podcast Here
Know more about In Other Words
Women in Translation Month is not just a celebration. It’s a reminder. A reminder that for every book we see on a shelf in English, there are thousands more waiting to be translated, heard, and valued. And many of those are being written and translated, by women, every single day.
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