Journal of Transnational American Studies

Scholarly studies in India have acknowledged the role of Mark Twain’s writings in critiquing social justice in a transnational framework. However, in the popular sphere Twain is seen primarily as a writer of tales of boyhood adventure, and his relevance to current social issues has not been fully realized. In the context of Twain’s stature in India, this essay analyzes the degree to which select juvenile translations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Hindi (one of India’s official languages) have been able to harness the potential of this text to dismantle deep-seated prejudices among younger readers, socializing them into a culture of tolerance. Critiquing the range of translational efforts in two versions of juvenile readers (in both a descriptive and prospective way), the essay assesses the degree to which these translations have succeeded or failed in this endeavor. It also explores the structural and linguistic options for future translations in Hindi which could overcome the shortcomings of the existing texts, thereby tapping into the novel’s value as an instructional text for readers of an impressionable age.