SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

PLEASE NOTE:  I AM NOT LOOKING FOR CONTEMPORARY FICTION, EVEN IF THEY ARE
PRIZE-WINNERS.

I WILL CONSIDER ONLY THOSE STORIES WHICH DEPICT THE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES
PECULIAR TO OUR (TELUGU) CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE. I AM PARTICULARLY
INTERESTED IN WELL-WRITTEN STORIES.

Additionally, I earnestly request you to note the following before submitting for consideration.

This website has been created for a specific purpose. That is,

1. To introduce Telugu fiction to those who are not familiar with our culture and who cannot
read OUR stories in Telugu; and

2. To show that there is more to our culture than the stereotypes cast in today's media. People
cannot obtain a comprehensive, balanced view of a culture unless all other aspects are
presented along with the obvious.

This is my way of telling the world about our culture in all its variety and the broad range of our
story-telling techniques.

3. Articles published in Telugu in India may be submitted for translation and publication on
Thulika. I strongly suggest not to submit articles written in English and published on other sites
on the Internet. I feel that it is an unnecessary duplication.

From what I observed, readers of Thulika are more interested in the fiction of previous
decades (1940-1970 to be specific), and in themes which depict our traditional values. I am not
saying I welcome unfair religious practices or inhuman behavior in the name of religion or law
for that matter. I've been translating and publishing what appeals to me most, and that has
turned out to be an excellent standard for my website. Probably you will understand my position
from my stories and translations on this site.

Please read some of the stories before submission.

REMEMBER:
1. I am not committed to feminist or any other ideology for that matter. I just want a good story.

I am only looking for well-written stories, which give the reader a glimpse of Telugu culture. For
me how the story is told, and how much of cultural nuance is depicted are more important than
the message.

2. I would like to feature as many Telugu writers as possible, not several stories by the same
writer. The idea is to present a broad range of our authorship to the world.

3.  By the same token, I will consider stories by writers who are ignored by other sites and
media. Send to me only if the story is written well, and it reaffirms human values, or values
specific to our culture.

TRANSLATION CRITERIA:

My article on transcultural translation explains in great detail. It helps to read that before
starting a translation for thulika.net.

Grammar and punctuation are very important when we put the stories out for global audience.
In the past, I was correcting the spellings and punctuation myself. From now on, I will not be
able to do so. Therefore, I am requesting you to send me only proof-read copies. Also pay
close attention to guidelines. Otherwise, I will not be able to accept your submission.

1.  PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATION: Remember you are translating for global audience. Telugu
stories include some elements of oral tradition. Sometimes, the narration jumps back and forth
in time, which only we, the Telugu people, can understand. For those who are not
knowledgeable in Telugu, it is confusing. Therefore, you may need to rearrange sentences
and paragraphs so the story in English flows smoothly.

2.  For the same reason, avoid using words and phrases peculiar to Indian English. If you need
to use Telugu words or coin new phrases, explain them in footnotes. I will include them in the
glossary also. You may check first if the word or phrase is already in the glossary. Our glossary
is one of the most accessed pages!

3.  FORMAT: Must conform to the style on Thulika.net, which means using:
a) Fonts Times New Roman 12 pt. or Arial 10 pt. Please, do not use all kinds of fancy fonts and
web dings. They do not show very well on some computers.

b) Left-aligned and not justified (like in printed texts. It puts extra spaces between words and I
find it very annoying.).

I cannot consider submissions in other formats, even if it is a good story and good translation.

4. Send your translation as attachment to thulikan@yahoo.com. Do not include it in the body of
the email. Include the original author's or copyright-holder's permission.

5.  If you wish to suggest or send original Telugu stories for translation, send me an email with
details first.

6.  Critical essays, reviews on modern Telugu fiction, and comments must be in English and
sent only as attachment.

7.  Original authors/translators retain copyright.

8.  Authors and translators are responsible for the content and views expressed in the stories.
Publication on this site must not be construed as an endorsement.

I retain the right to edit or reject submissions which do not conform to the guidelines stated
above.
Once again, be considerate. Thulika is a one-person operation. I am not interested in going
into lengthy editing process in regard to spellings, punctuation marks and formatting.

If you are serious about submitting, please follow the guidelines. Other articles that might be
useful are 1. Transcultural translation, and anuvadaalu elaa undaali (in Telugu)

Thanks for your cooperation.  


Nidadavolu Malathi
Founder-editor, www.thulika.net.
October 2009