The Ministry of Culture Launches Six Translations of Classic Literature, Encouraging Indonesian Works to Reach Readers Around the World
JAKARTA - The Ministry of Culture has launched six translations of Indonesian classic literary works as a step to expand the reach of Indonesian writers' works to international readers. This step is considered important to strengthen the position of Indonesian literature on the world stage, which has been hampered by the lack of foreign language translations.
The launch was carried out by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon in the Sasana Sastra Reading Indonesian Classics event held at the Main Building of the Ministry of Culture, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, July 2, coinciding with the 13th Anniversary of Literature Day.
Fadli said Indonesia has a very large cultural wealth. However, many quality literary works are not widely known abroad due to limited number of translations.
"There are many extraordinary Indonesian literary works, but they are not easily accessible to international readers. Therefore, translation is one of the keys to making our works more well-known," said Fadli.
According to Fadli, translating literary works is not merely shifting language, but bringing the experience, values, and perspectives of Indonesian society to readers from various countries.
Therefore, the Ministry of Culture has also prepared various supporting programs, ranging from printing young translators, building a literary promotion network, to the Translation Funding Program (TFP) which helps foreign publishers obtain copyright for Indonesian literary works.
In addition to the book launch, the event featured various performances of literary vehicles through installations, video screenings, theater, dance, music, and multimedia.
The six translated works come from various periods and genres in Indonesian literary history. The works include Azab and Sengsara by Merari Siregar, Kehilangan Mestika by Fatimah Hasan Delais, Tanah Gersang by Mochtar Lubis, Dua Dunia by NH Dini, the poetry collection Balada Orang-orang Tercinta by WS Rendra, and Surat Kertas Hijau by Sitor Situmorang.
The event was also attended by a number of national literary figures, including Taufiq Ismail, Taufik Abdullah, and former Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro.
This translation program is part of the Ministry of Culture's strategy to build a comprehensive literary ecosystem, ranging from the creation of works, translation, promotion, to the development of the literary community. Currently, the ministry is also partnering with 18 literary festivals in Indonesia, encouraging the regeneration of around 7,500 literary talents through the National Talent Management for Literature, and expanding the internationalization of Indonesian literature through translation programs and TFP.