CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTB & ESC) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with publishers from other countries on Wednesday. Chief Minister MK Stalin will participate in the event during the international book fair, said TS Saravanan, Joint Director of TNTB & ESC.
After the MoU, the TNTB & ESC expects that 50 Tamil books including Periyar Thoughts and research books on Keezhadi will be translated into 10 other foreign languages and 10 regional languages, said Saravanan. The state government would have to allot Rs 3-5 lakh per language for translation, totaling up to Rs 1 crore.
The textbook corporation will obtain the rights to publish over 100 books. TNTB & ESC has published many books, including those for children, about technology, and medicine. “The TNTB & ESC works with 14 co-publishers,” he said.
Over 30 publishers from 20 countries are participating in the fair, which is working on a Business-to-Business model. The event aims to translate Tamil books into multiple languages and connect publishers from across the globe.
One participant, S Malar, a visa officer at the Royal Thai Consulate General (Thailand), told TNIE, the consulate set up a stall at the fair to promote their tourism sector and expose the country’s culture in Chennai. After the pandemic, the tourism sector had been faring poorly over the past couple of years, the officer said, adding that now the situation has turned around and tourists were visiting Thailand, a major hub for tourism.
According to Malar, the responses from visitors during the book fair have been good. “We are displaying the country’s route map and major tourist spots, including Krabi, Pattaya, Phuket, Nakhon Ratchasima, and so on.” She also explained the visa process and other legal procedures to go to Thailand.
SB Udhaya Chandran, from the German-based Goethe Institute, said the institute has put up a stall at the book fair to raise awareness about the German language. “We explain educational courses in German to people and displayed pamphlets here,” he said.
Chandran said, “wherever we go, the language plays a key role in all aspects. Those who want to go to Germany for studies, or job opportunities have to learn the German language.” He pointed out Goethe Institute offers weekly and daily online classes at their coaching centers in Adyar and Nungambakkam. The classes teach sounds, actions, and recognition, an easy method to pick up the language.
T Udhayachandran, Principal Secretary (Special Implementation Programme), VP Jayaseelan, Director of Information and Public Relations, and K Elam Bahavath, Director of Public Libraries and officials visited the fair.