Tungusic Twilight: Languages of Reindeer-herding Evenki and China’s Last Dynasty Threatened with Extinction

The mid-term outlook for the five main Tungusic tongues of the People’s Republic — Manchu, Xibe, Evenki, Elunchun and Hezhen — is frankly bleak, at least insofar as classifying as “living languages.” Such is the impression one gets from China’s linguistic experts who spoke at the “Academic Conference: Tungusic Language & Culture Under Threat,” held … Continue reading Tungusic Twilight: Languages of Reindeer-herding Evenki and China’s Last Dynasty Threatened with Extinction →

Literary Translation: The Collaborative Approach

In the Aug 2014 edition of The Art of Empathy: Celebrating Literature in Translation, Chinese-to-literary translators Sylvia Li-chun Lin (native Chinese speaker) and Howard Goldblatt (native English speaker) reveal how they work together: Sylvia does the first draft, placing emphasis more on conveying the meaning of the original text than on finding the exact words/phrases … Continue reading Literary Translation: The Collaborative Approach →

Tungusic Languages Under Threat: Statistics, Research Projects, Strategies for Protection

Following a conference on the dire straits of Tungusic languages in China — virtually all of which are under threat — four very informative articles have just appeared on the Institute of Ethnic Literature site. Since they are in Chinese, I hope to summarize the best parts later, but for now, I site some basic … Continue reading Tungusic Languages Under Threat: Statistics, Research Projects, Strategies for Protection →

Inner Mongolia: Tardy Legal Move to Protect Oroqen Culture it Once Suppressed

Inner Mongolia has just passed a law aimed at protecting the culture of the Elunchun (鄂伦春), also known as the Oroqen, according to an item republished at Chinawriter.com.cn (鄂伦春传统文化). Like the Evenki portrayed in Chi Zijian’s Last Quarter of the Moon, the Oroqen speak a Tungusic tongue, and their population has markedly declined since the … Continue reading Inner Mongolia: Tardy Legal Move to Protect Oroqen Culture it Once Suppressed →

Infrastructure for China Soft Power Inc.: Newly Established China Academy of Translation

In a move to get the infrastructure on the ground for China’s re-emergence on the international cultural scene, the China Int’l Publishing Group has founded the China Academy of Translation (中国翻译研究院). Read about it here in Chinese, and here in English. This is definitely a state-run body founded to serve China’s strategic interests, a “translation … Continue reading Infrastructure for China Soft Power Inc.: Newly Established China Academy of Translation →

Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Chatting with Guóbǎo

Murong Xuecun, author of Leave Me Alone Tonight, Chengdu, was in Australia when several intellectuals and activists got together in Beijing this year to commemorate the anniversary of the 1989 "June 4th Incident." Several of those who were there have since been arrested, such as civil rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强), and in order to call … Continue reading Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Chatting with Guóbǎo →

3 New Books Document Manchu-Tungusic Languages, Feature Multilingual Glossaries

A conference was recently held in Beijing by China Social Sciences Press to celebrate the publication earlier this year of three scholarly works of interest to researchers of Manchu-Tungus languages (研讨会). They are all authored by Dulor Osor Chog (aka Chao Ke, 朝克) an Evenki who holds a Ph D. in Japanese Culture and Language … Continue reading 3 New Books Document Manchu-Tungusic Languages, Feature Multilingual Glossaries →

徐穆实受访：人民日报海外版转载 “建立驻地翻译基金” 的建议

莫言获诺贝尔文学奖、麦家小说在海外畅销，外国翻译家功不可没。他们以优美的本国语言、适合西方人阅读的视角进行翻译，将中文图书接引到彼岸并焕发出神秘光彩。最近，美国中文翻译家徐穆实（Bruce Humes）在个人网站上刊出公开信，就中国有关机构近年来推动的文学外译提出若干具体建议，将中国文学“走出去”的战略落到实处：建立“驻地翻译”基金，积极征募外国翻译家到中国短期居住，体验中国文化，结识中国作家、翻译家和出版人（受惠对象应注重国别和语言的多样化，避免过度集中于英、法、德等欧洲语言）；放宽签证条件，以使翻译家工作期间合法居留中国；办好网站，多搞活动，帮助中外翻译家们沟通和交流。他的建议，不仅在海外的中国文学翻译圈内引起了共鸣，还让国内业界又一次正视“外国翻译家”这一文学出口生产线上的关键环节。阅读全文，请点击

July 2014: Update on Uyghur Writers and Writing as Crackdown Gains Momentum

In the wake of two high-profile and deadly attacks reportedly carried out by Uyghurs outside of their traditional homeland, the Chinese authorities have launched a multi-faceted campaign to crush what they see as a terrorist movement that aims at founding an independent state in the Xinjiang autonomous region covering one-sixth of Chinese territory. I am … Continue reading July 2014: Update on Uyghur Writers and Writing as Crackdown Gains Momentum →

Xinjiang-based “West” Magazine Announces 2012-13 Awards

西部 magazine (lit, “West”) recently held an award ceremony in Tekes County (located in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture). Ten authors received awards for texts published in the magazine during 2012-13 (西部文学奖). They are: Novels 《龋齿》by 弋舟 (Yi Zhou), and《小说二题》by 流瓶儿 (Liu Ping’er) Short Stories 《小叙事》by 汗漫 (Han Man);《母亲》by 辛生 (Xin Sheng); and《禾木纪事》by 康剑 (Kang … Continue reading Xinjiang-based “West” Magazine Announces 2012-13 Awards →