Regarding fiction, while many texts from English-speaking authors are translated into many languages and find their place within international markets without any difficulty, foreign literature translated into English is usually received by readers in the Anglo-American culture with a certain lack of interest. The UK and the USA are willing to be translated but are reluctant to welcome translations. In the spreading of lesser-known languages and cultures, the translator has a prominent role. Sometimes the figure of the translator mingles with that of an anthropologist who may prove to guarantee the preservation of a language in space and time. This article provides an instance in which translators play a role that goes beyond that of a linguistic mediator and involves them in the diffusion among the Western readership of a language and a culture that is virtually unknown: Tamil, a language spoken in the state of Madras, Southern India.