New Kid on the Block: Chinese-to-English Literary Translator Database

I watch this sort of thing fairly closely, and up until now the only list of international Chinese-to-English literary translators I knew about was at Paper Republic: Translator Directory. But today by accident I discovered another at a Chinese-language site called 中国文化对外翻译与传播网. It’s a much bigger undertaking, and features 2,003 listings under “English,” with the … Continue reading New Kid on the Block: Chinese-to-English Literary Translator Database →

Foreign Authors and the Allure of “Special Editions” of their Books for Chinese Eyes

“Please kindly let me know if it is possible for us to cooperate on a special version of your book for its China publication,” read a Shanghai publisher’s letter to Evan Osnos, formerly The New Yorker’s China correspondent. Writing in the May 2 edition of the New York Times (China’s Censored World), Osnos gives us … Continue reading Foreign Authors and the Allure of “Special Editions” of their Books for Chinese Eyes →

Time to Open up the Orhan Pamuk/Mo Yan Monopoly to Competition?

At his press conference yesterday in Istanbul after a five-day stay in the city, Mo Yan called for the governments of China and Turkey to actively promote literary translation. “I could have [the] chance to read only the books of Orhan Pamuk as he was the only Turkish writer whose books have been translated into … Continue reading Time to Open up the Orhan Pamuk/Mo Yan Monopoly to Competition? →

Mo Yan’s Nobel and Chinese Fiction Exports: Time to “Serve the Reader”?

Resting on translation Professor Xie Tianzhen’s desk is a recent dissertation by one of his students, ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’: A Century of English Translations. It documents the strong preference of Western readers for David Hawke’s edition, though Chinese specialists consider it flawed compared to the more accurate version by Yang Xianyi and … Continue reading Mo Yan’s Nobel and Chinese Fiction Exports: Time to “Serve the Reader”? →

Thoreau’s “Walden”, Translator Li Jihong and the Missing Aliens

As the sun sets here in Antalya, Turkey, by now the controversial English-to-Chinese translator Li Jihong (李继宏, below) should already have delivered his speech today at the Shanghai Book Festival, entitled " 经典何以需要新译？" (“Why do the classics need new translations?) His spiel was part of the official launch event for his newest translation, 《瓦尔登湖》(Thoreau's Walden). … Continue reading Thoreau’s “Walden”, Translator Li Jihong and the Missing Aliens →

Translator Shortage and Tired Tales of Chinese Exceptionalism

Writes Dong Fangyu at China Daily in Translators Leave China Lost for Words: “. . . many Chinese novels that have won top prizes and been well received in China face delays in getting published abroad due to a lack of good translators. Take the example of the novel Shou Huo (The Joy of Living，[受活]) … Continue reading Translator Shortage and Tired Tales of Chinese Exceptionalism →

Are Foreign Devil Translators Hijacking China’s Debut on the Global Literary Stage?

Ever since China was named Guest of Honor at the 2009 Frankfurt Int’l Book Fair, overseas publishers have begun to take an interest in contemporary Chinese literature, and the list of works of fiction and poetry slated for translation and publication into English in 2011 and 2012 is growing quickly. Take a look here for … Continue reading Are Foreign Devil Translators Hijacking China’s Debut on the Global Literary Stage? →

Turkish Novels, Honor Killing and China’s English-language Complex

Zülfü Livaneli, the Turkish writer, musician, singer, journalist and member of parliament, recently toured China to promote the launch of the mainland Chinese translation of his popular novel, Bliss (Mutluluk), or 伊斯坦布尔的幸福. Now a movie as well, Bliss is a melodramatic tale of a young village woman who is raped by an elder relative. When … Continue reading Turkish Novels, Honor Killing and China’s English-language Complex →

Israeli Writers in Chinese: Via Hebrew or English?

A literary agent on selling Israeli fiction overseas: I can tell you there is no market more challenging than America’s. I sell more books in China and Japan than in America . . . Could be, and perhaps it's the quality of the translations into the Chinese. My girlfriend read Roman Russi (蓝山) by Meir … Continue reading Israeli Writers in Chinese: Via Hebrew or English? →