India is home to an enormous literary landscape spread across dozens of languages. Yet a book written in one Indian language can remain largely inaccessible to readers who do not speak it. That is where book translators become important.
A good translator does much more than convert words from one language into another. They interpret cultural references, preserve the author’s voice, understand rhythm and tone, and make sure the translated work feels natural to a new readership without losing the character of the original.
For authors, finding the right translator can therefore be one of the most important decisions involved in taking a book into another language.
This curated list brings together 25 book translators worth exploring in 2026, with particular attention to translators working across Indian languages and emerging literary voices. It is not intended as an official ranking or industry award list. Instead, it is a starting point for authors looking for potential translation partners.
1. Tuhin Bhowal
Tuhin Bhowal is a writer, translator and editor working across Hindi, Bengali and English. His literary work has appeared in publications including Indian Literature, Poetry at Sangam and other literary journals.
He has also worked as a translation mentee with the South Asian Literature in Translation project and was selected for the 2025 South Asia Speaks mentorship programme. His work includes translating contemporary Hindi poetry and fiction.
Language focus: Hindi, Bengali and English
Best suited for: Contemporary Hindi and Bengali literature, poetry and literary fiction
2. Chandrika Das
Chandrika Das is a Hindi-to-English literary translator whose work includes a translation of Tulsi Ram’s Murdahiya. The project was selected as one of the winners of the PEN Presents x SALT programme.
The programme is designed to bring literary works from South Asian languages to English-language publishers, giving translators editorial support and international visibility.
Language focus: Hindi to English
Best suited for: Hindi literary fiction, memoir and socially engaged writing
3. Sayari Debnath
Sayari Debnath works across Bengali, Hindi and English and has developed a translation practice focused on bringing Indian-language literature to wider readerships.
Her Bengali-to-English translation of Jayanta Dey’s Fear, Great Fear! was selected as a PEN Presents x SALT winner, making her a particularly interesting translator for authors working with contemporary Bengali literature.
Language focus: Bengali, Hindi and English
Best suited for: Bengali and Hindi fiction
4. Trisha Gupta
Trisha Gupta is a Hindi-to-English translator whose work includes a translation of Krishna Sobti’s How to Know Delhi.
Her project was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT, a programme that supports sample translations of South Asian literature and connects translators with international publishing networks.
Language focus: Hindi to English
Best suited for: Hindi literary nonfiction, essays and culturally rooted writing
5. Vighnesh Hampapura
Vighnesh Hampapura works with Kannada literature and has studied literature, creative writing and translation at Ashoka University and Oxford.
His translation work includes U. R. Ananthamurthy’s The Transcendent, and his literary projects also include translations of contemporary Kannada writing. His work makes him worth exploring for authors interested in taking Kannada literature to English readers.
Language focus: Kannada to English
Best suited for: Kannada fiction and contemporary literary writing
6. Manav Kambli
Manav Kambli is a Marathi translator whose work was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT for a translation of Jayant Pawar’s From the Phoenix’s Ashes Arises a Peacock.
The project demonstrates the range of Marathi literature currently being introduced to English-language readers through emerging translation initiatives.
Language focus: Marathi to English
Best suited for: Contemporary Marathi fiction and literary writing
7. Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal
Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal works with Punjabi literature and was selected as a PEN Presents x SALT winner for her translation of Sukirat’s That, and That.
Her inclusion is particularly relevant for authors looking for translators working with Punjabi literature, a field that has historically had fewer English-language translation opportunities than some other Indian languages.
Language focus: Punjabi to English
Best suited for: Punjabi fiction and contemporary literature
8. Mehdi Khawaja
Mehdi Khawaja is a Kashmiri-to-English translator whose work was selected for PEN Presents x SALT for Akhtar Mohiuddin’s To Each Their Own Hell.
For authors working with Kashmiri literature, translators working in this relatively underrepresented language pair can be particularly valuable in helping regional writing reach a wider readership.
Language focus: Kashmiri to English
Best suited for: Kashmiri literary fiction
9. Ayesha Latif
Ayesha Latif is a Punjabi translator whose work includes a translation of Piro Preman’s Piro’s Songs.
Her work highlights the importance of translators who can handle poetry and historically rooted literary material, where cultural context and rhythm can be just as important as literal meaning.
Language focus: Punjabi to English
Best suited for: Punjabi poetry and literary writing
10. Rohit Manchanda
Rohit Manchanda is a Hindi-to-English translator whose work includes Gautam Choubey’s The Unspinning Wheel.
His project was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT, which supports translators working on South Asian literature that has not yet reached English-language publishing markets.
Language focus: Hindi to English
Best suited for: Contemporary Hindi fiction
11. Chaiti Mitra
Chaiti Mitra works with Bengali literature and was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT for her translation of Abhijit Sen’s Vidyadhari and the Vagrant Lakhindar.
Her inclusion reflects the growing number of translators working to bring contemporary Bengali fiction into English rather than limiting translation to already internationally established authors.
Language focus: Bengali to English
Best suited for: Bengali fiction and contemporary literary works
12. Pratixa Parekh
Pratixa Parekh is a Gujarati-to-English translator whose project The Agony of Thirty-two Female Figurine by Ila Arab Mehta was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT.
Gujarati literature remains an important but comparatively underrepresented part of English-language translation, making translators working in this language pair especially relevant to authors seeking wider readership.
Language focus: Gujarati to English
Best suited for: Gujarati fiction and literary writing
13. Vilasini Ramani
Vilasini Ramani works with Tamil literature and was selected as a PEN Presents x SALT winner for her translation of Chandra Thangaraj’s Maize.
Her work is part of a broader movement to introduce contemporary Tamil literature to readers beyond the original language community.
Language focus: Tamil to English
Best suited for: Contemporary Tamil fiction
14. Uma Shirodkar
Uma Shirodkar is a Marathi literary translator and editor whose work has focused on bringing Marathi literature to English readers.
She was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT for her translation of Pradeep Kokare’s Desolate Eyes Drowning Deep. Her interests also include women’s writing and the weird and uncanny traditions within Marathi literature.
Language focus: Marathi to English
Best suited for: Marathi fiction, women’s writing and literary works
15. Aditya Vikram Shrivastava
Aditya Vikram Shrivastava is a translator working with Hindi literature. Their translation of Asghar Wajahat’s The Spirits of Shah Alam Camp was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT.
The project reflects the range of contemporary Hindi literature being considered for English translation, particularly works dealing with social, political and cultural realities.
Language focus: Hindi to English
Best suited for: Contemporary Hindi literary fiction
16. Sonakshi Srivastava
Sonakshi Srivastava works across Khari Boli, Braj, Hindi and English. Her translation of Jaishankar Prasad’s Titlee was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT.
The combination of literary Hindi with older linguistic traditions makes this kind of translation particularly dependent on cultural, historical and stylistic understanding.
Language focus: Khari Boli, Braj and Hindi to English
Best suited for: Classical and literary Hindi
17. D. V. Subhashri
D. V. Subhashri is a Telugu translator whose project A Stream of Migrant Narratives was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT.
The work translates life stories of nomadic and tribal communities, demonstrating how literary translation can also help preserve and circulate voices that might otherwise remain largely confined to regional-language readerships.
Language focus: Telugu to English
Best suited for: Telugu nonfiction, oral histories and socially rooted writing
18. A. J. Thomas
A. J. Thomas is a Malayalam translator whose project involving The New Wave of Malayalam Short Story Writers was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT.
His work is particularly relevant for authors and publishers interested in contemporary Malayalam short fiction and literary anthologies.
Language focus: Malayalam to English
Best suited for: Malayalam short fiction and literary collections
19. Srividhya Venkatesan
Srividhya Venkatesan works with Tamil and English and was selected for PEN Presents x SALT for her translation of a curated collection of short stories by La. Sa. Ramamritham.
Her work demonstrates the importance of translators who can handle collections where individual stories may have different tones, structures and cultural contexts.
Language focus: Tamil and English
Best suited for: Tamil short stories and literary collections
20. Jayasree Kalathil
Jayasree Kalathil is a Malayalam-English writer and translator whose translations have received considerable literary recognition.
Her translations have twice won the Crossword Book Jury Award for Translation, and her work has also been associated with the JCB Prize for Literature and other translation awards. Her recent PEN Presents x SALT project is a translation of S. Hareesh’s Silkworm.
Language focus: Malayalam and English
Best suited for: Malayalam fiction and literary writing
21. Rahul Soni
Rahul Soni is a writer, editor and translator whose Hindi-to-English work includes Shrikant Verma’s Magadh, Pankaj Kapur’s Dopehri and Geetanjali Shree’s The Roof Beneath Their Feet.
He has also been shortlisted in PEN Presents x SALT for his translation of Dharamvir Bharati’s The Seventh Horse of the Sun.
Language focus: Hindi to English
Best suited for: Hindi fiction, poetry and contemporary literary writing
22. Chandrakant Mhatre
Chandrakant Mhatre works with Marathi literature and poetry. His translation project involving selected poems of Saint Soyarabai, Saint Karma Mela, Saint Nirmala and Saint Banka was selected as a PEN Presents x SALT winner.
This makes his work particularly interesting for authors dealing with poetry, devotional traditions, caste, social history and culturally specific literary material.
Language focus: Marathi to English
Best suited for: Marathi poetry, Bhakti literature and socially engaged writing
23. Zain R. Mian
Zain R. Mian is an Urdu-to-English translator whose translation of Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj’s Anarkali: A Tragedy in Three Acts was selected as a PEN Presents x SALT winner.
The project demonstrates the value of translators who can work with historically significant South Asian texts while making them accessible to contemporary English-language readers.
Language focus: Urdu to English
Best suited for: Urdu drama, literary classics and historical works
24. A. J. Thomas
A. J. Thomas has worked extensively with Malayalam literature and was shortlisted for PEN Presents x SALT for his translation project involving contemporary Malayalam short-story writers.
His work is particularly relevant to authors and publishers interested in bringing Malayalam literary writing to English-language readers.
Language focus: Malayalam to English
Best suited for: Malayalam short stories and literary anthologies
25. Asha Seth | MissBookThief
Asha Seth is the founder of MissBookThief, an author-focused book marketing and publicity platform that also provides editorial and translation support.
Her inclusion here is deliberately different from the literary translators above. Asha Seth is not being presented as an individual award-winning literary translator. Instead, she represents an author-services route for writers who want translation support as part of a broader publishing journey.
MissBookThief currently lists book translation alongside editing, proofreading, publishing support, author branding and book marketing. This can be useful for independent authors who need help taking a manuscript beyond translation into editing, positioning and promotion for a new readership.
Service focus: Author-focused translation and editorial support
Best suited for: Independent authors looking for translation alongside editing, publishing and marketing support
How to Choose a Book Translator
The translator who looks most impressive on paper is not automatically the right person for your book.
Start with your language pair. Then look at genre, previous book-length work, literary style and familiarity with the cultural context of your manuscript.
If possible, ask for a sample of previous translation work. You should also discuss your expectations around voice, editing, proofreading, revisions, timeline and rights before commissioning the full project. For authors, the most important question is not simply, “Can this person translate my book?”
It is: “Can this person make my book feel like itself in another language?”
Final Word on Book Translators in India
Translation can open an entirely new life for a book.
But that journey begins with choosing the right person to carry the story across languages. Whether you are translating a novel, memoir, poetry collection, children’s book or nonfiction title, take time to assess the translator’s language expertise, literary sensibility and previous work.
And remember that the translator becomes part of your book’s journey into its next readership. Choose accordingly.
FAQs
Who are the best book translators in India?
There is no single objective list of the best translators because the right choice depends on language, genre, direction of translation and the manuscript itself. This list is designed as a starting point for authors exploring translators working across Indian languages.
How do I find a translator for my book in India?
Start by identifying the source and target languages, genre and approximate word count. Then look for translators with experience in the same language pair and genre. Reading samples of their previous work can help you assess their style.
Can Indian-language books be translated into English?
Yes. Translators across India work with languages including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, Urdu and many others.
Should I hire an individual translator or an agency?
An individual translator may be ideal when you need specialist literary translation. An agency can be useful when translation is part of a larger publishing project involving editing, proofreading, design, publishing or marketing.
How much does book translation cost in India?
There is no standard price. Translation costs depend on language pair, manuscript length, genre, complexity, translator experience and whether editing and proofreading are included.
Is literary translation different from regular translation?
Yes. Literary translation requires attention to voice, rhythm, tone, cultural references, characterisation and literary style rather than simply transferring the literal meaning of individual sentences.
Editorial Note
This is a curated editorial list, not an official ranking.
The translators featured here have been selected based on their published or publicly documented translation work, participation in literary translation programmes, language expertise, published projects and relevance to authors interested in Indian-language literature.
The list intentionally includes several translators who may be less widely known outside literary circles. This makes it different from lists that simply reproduce the country’s most famous award-winning translators.
