Hui author Li Jinxiang (李进祥), born in the 1960s, recently introduced Ningxia writers of fiction and poetry in an article entitled 纯净朴诚的宁夏少数民族文学. I haven’t read most of these authors and hope to write about them in detail in the future, but for now, I’ll just cite some authors and works for reference. Major Ningxia-based writers since … Continue reading Backgrounder: Modern Ningxia Writers
“Daur Epic Narratives”: New Approach Aims to Capture Original Daur Flavor
A few years ago, oral epics of non-Han peoples in China — if ever published — tended to be presented in Chinese (translation). To the uninitiated, this implied that these tales existed just in Chinese. More recently, bilingual versions have occasionally appeared, i.e., with the original language printed in IPA or a script familiar only … Continue reading “Daur Epic Narratives”: New Approach Aims to Capture Original Daur Flavor
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
Altaic Storytelling 