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Abstract
Translation introduces one culture to another culture through language. A language is an interpretation of the culture of a place, where that language exists. In other words, a culture is expressed and lived through its language only. So, translation acts as a bridge between source culture and target culture. As a result, a translator needs to be a good scholar too, as he has to internalize the text first, before interpreting it in another language. In fact, it is a hard task, as no two languages are the same. So, translation is a transaction between two unequal cultures. In these circumstances, it is the duty of the translator to assimilate this new thought to another culture without any distortion of its intended meaning. When we debate on the various nuances of translation activity, we have to explore questions like, what exactly do we translate when we translate? Is it sound, sense, spirit, text, reader or context? What are the parameters for selecting a text for translation? Why do we translate a text? This paper explores these questions, along with other related issues of translation. In this world, where languages are dying a slow death without being used, translation infuses new life to a language, by drawing knowledge from other languages, and keeping it alive. However, in contrast, knowledge transferred through translation to a target culture might be misused to control the source culture as it happened in the British era. In spite of this, translation is the lifeline for a language to receive knowledge from other cultures, in order to strengthen it.