US releases four translated books in Kolkata

Kolkata, Jan 29 : In its effort to cater to the growing interest of Bengalis in the US, its consulate general here Thursday released a set of four books about its economy, politics, government and literature, translated into Bengali, an official said here.

"This is the first time the four titles of the popular 'Outline Series', published by the US Department of State's Bureau of International Programmes (IIP), have been translated into a foreign language," Douglas G. Kelly, director of American Center (Kolkata), told IANS on the sidelines of the book launch at the 33rd Kolkata Book Fair Thursday evening.

"We have found that there is a growing interest about US among the Bengalis. This is a major initiative to promote awareness and study of US foreign policy, society and values among Bengalis present not only in West Bengal, but in all countries, including Bangladesh," Kelly said.

Kelly said the four books would be translated in Hindi and Urdu in near future.

"We have also decided to release Hindi and Urdu translated versions of these four titles soon to reach out to almost all Indians," Kelly said.

The four titles include "Outline of US History", "Outline of US Government", "Outline of American Literature" and "Outline of US Economy".

--IANS