Abstract:

Background: Dalit women’s literature in India represents a powerful intersection of caste, gender, and language. Through English translation, autobiographies and narratives such as Bama’s Karukku have gained visibility beyond regional boundaries, enabling global audiences to engage with the lived realities of caste-based oppression. However, translation also raises questions of authenticity, cultural mediation, and ethical representation.

Objective: This study synthesizes key research on Dalit women’s voices in English translation, focusing on how translation functions as both a tool of empowerment and a site of potential distortion. It examines the literary, feminist, and political dimensions of Dalit women’s narratives, highlighting the challenges and contributions of translation in shaping discourse.

Methods: A comparative review of three major strands of scholarship was undertaken to synthesize the discourse on Dalit women’s voices in English translation. The first strand engages with analyses of Dalit feminism and literary voice in English writings, where scholars highlight how caste and gender intersect to shape narratives of resistance, trauma, and identity. The second strand focuses on case studies of landmark texts such as Bama’s Karukku, which serve as feminist interventions by foregrounding systemic oppression and challenging dominant literary traditions. The third strand examines research on translation practices and their impact on Dalit autobiographies, emphasizing both the empowering potential of translation in amplifying marginalized voices and the risks of cultural loss, domestication, and ethical distortion. Together, these strands reveal the complex dynamics of representation, authenticity, and visibility in Dalit women’s literature. The synthesis draws on intersectionality, Ambedkarite ideology, and postcolonial feminist frameworks, situating translation as not merely a linguistic exercise but a deeply political act that mediates between local realities and global readerships.

Results: The findings reveal that Dalit women’s translated texts articulate trauma, resistance, and identity politics, thereby situating Dalit feminism as a radical critique of caste patriarchy. These narratives challenge dominant literary traditions by foregrounding the systemic struggles of marginalized women, expanding the scope of feminist discourse in India beyond middle-class perspectives. At the same time, translation enables these voices to achieve national and global visibility, allowing Dalit women’s experiences to enter broader conversations on social justice and gender equality. However, this visibility often comes at the cost of cultural nuance and linguistic specificity, as certain caste-bound idioms and regional expressions risk being diluted in translation. Moreover, the process highlights the positionality and ethical responsibility of translators, underscoring the tension between accessibility for wider readerships and authenticity in preserving the lived realities of Dalit women. Collectively, these insights demonstrate that translation is both a vehicle of empowerment and a site of contestation, shaping how Dalit women’s voices are heard, interpreted, and situated within global feminist and postcolonial frameworks.

Conclusion: Dalit women’s voices in English translation demonstrate that translation is not merely linguistic but profoundly political. It amplifies marginalized perspectives, disrupts hegemonic narratives, and contributes to feminist and caste-critical scholarship. At the same time, translation demands reflexivity to avoid erasure or distortion of lived realities. Future research must engage with translation ethics, market pressures, and the role of translators as cultural mediators to ensure that Dalit women’s narratives retain their political urgency and authenticity.

Keywords:

Dalit women, English translation, Karukku, Bama, Dalit feminism, caste and gender, autobiographies, intersectionality, Ambedkarite ideology, postcolonial feminism, translation ethics, marginalized voices.

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