Xinhuanet reports (Minority Language Translation Software) that the China Ethnic Languages Translation Bureau has announced the development of several software programs for non-Han languages in China: These programs include electronic dictionaries for the characters of the Yi and Zhuang ethnic groups [彝文电子词典及辅助翻译软件 and 壮文电子词典及辅助翻译软件], a proofreading tool for the Zhuang ethnic language [壮文校对软件], and transcoding applications … Continue reading New Software for Yi, Zhuang, Tibetan, Uygur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz Applications
“Sons of Heaven, Brothers of Nature: The Naxi of Southwest China”
Writes author Pedro Ceinos Arcones in his introduction to this new work on the Naxi, renowned for their Dongba pictographic language: Every year thousands of travelers from all around the world visit the Naxi region [of Yunnan], turning their former isolation into a permanent exhibition of their land and homes. During their stay in Lijiang … Continue reading “Sons of Heaven, Brothers of Nature: The Naxi of Southwest China”
Scholar Critiques Media Coverage of Newly Published Miao Classic “King Yalu”
China media’s recent high-profile reportage of the launch of volume one of the first-ever bilingual version of King Yalu (亚鲁王), a Miao historical epic passed down orally, has been labelled “unscientific” (媒体对 《亚鲁王》报道不科学) by an academic whose views carry weight. Traditionally sung over several days at a funeral, King Yalu is the story of war, defeat … Continue reading Scholar Critiques Media Coverage of Newly Published Miao Classic “King Yalu”
Tsering Norbu’s “Amerika”: Village Life in 21st Century Tibet – with a Twist
Only a handful of Tibetans who write fiction in Chinese have seen their work published in English, but Tsering Norbu has recently joined this elite. Here’s a brief intro to his Amerika (阿米日嘎，次仁罗布著): A farmer in rural Tibet invests his life savings and more to purchase a breeding bull imported all the way from “Amerika” … Continue reading Tsering Norbu’s “Amerika”: Village Life in 21st Century Tibet – with a Twist
Seediq Bale, the Novel: Out now in French as “Les Survivants”
One of just 9 films to be shortlisted for this year's Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in Hollywood, Seediq Bale (《賽德克·巴萊》) is a 4.5-hour epic about one Taiwanese aboriginal tribe’s war of resistance against the Japanese in the 1930s, shot entirely in the Seediq language. As is often the case with contemporary Chinese literature, … Continue reading Seediq Bale, the Novel: Out now in French as “Les Survivants”
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?
Mongolian Fluency Drops among Minority Students in Hulunbuir
“News 1 + 1,” a CCTV News Channel program, recently broadcast a show devoted to exploring the status of Mongolian fluency among students in Inner Mongolia. I didn't watch it, but you can read the transcript in Chinese here: 如何用母语诉说?. The following piece is based on the transcript, with some of my own thoughts at the … Continue reading Mongolian Fluency Drops among Minority Students in Hulunbuir
Miao-Han Dictionary to Launch within 2011
Update: As of mid-June 2012, this dictionary has reportedly been published by the Nationalities Publishing House of Yunnan (云南民族出版社) Chinanews.com reports (云南禄劝将出版《苗汉词典》) that a new bilingual reference book, the Miao-Han Dictionary (苗汉辞典), will be published by year-end 2011. Compilation began in 1996 and has been carried out by an editing committee of 45. It will include: … Continue reading Miao-Han Dictionary to Launch within 2011
Rejuvenating the Tujia Language No Easy Feat
A journalist’s recent visit with primary school teacher and Tujia scholar Chu Yongming (储永明在课间与孩子们进行土家与对话) highlights a man with a mission—to ensure that the next generation of Tujia have the tools they need to speak the language of their people. Working out of a primary school in Hubei’s Feng county, the 59-year-old has taken part in … Continue reading Rejuvenating the Tujia Language No Easy Feat
“Butterfly Mother” and “Dragon-Eagles”: Processing Folklore in Southwest China
In the latest edition of Oral Tradition (Processing Epics), Mark Bender explores—via highly readable notes on his field-work—how the Miao myth-epic Mai Bang (Butterfly Mother) and the Nuosu’s creation-epic Dragon-Eagles have gradually been rendered in written form: My title also contains the word “processing”—and by that I mean the process through which traditional texts are performed … Continue reading “Butterfly Mother” and “Dragon-Eagles”: Processing Folklore in Southwest China
Altaic Storytelling 