Objects of remembrance and renewal

The relation between translation and experiences of migrants as depicted in fiction has been widely discussed, through the lens of both interlingual translation and cultural translation. The latter refers to the ongoing negotiation and representation of one’s values, symbols, and practices vis-à-vis the local majority group. The link between cultural translation and interlingual translation deserves careful exploration. This article examines the interface between these translational concepts through their intersections with two material diasporic objects in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Queen of Dreams. The first object is the dream journals, handwritten in Bengali by the late mother of the young protagonist and translated into English by her father. The second object comprises culinary items and the interlingual procedures related to them. The analysis showcases various ways in which interlingual translation may provoke and participate in cultural translation within the context of diasporic literature.