E-mail to Your Friend(s)Print Friendly

Distinguished Scholars on Literary Translation

In celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Renditions, the world-renowned journal of Chinese literature in English, the Renditions Distinguished Lecture Series on Literary Translation was held on 2 November and 7 December respectively.

The first lecture ‘Author and Translator: A Mutually Rewarding yet Uneasy and Sometimes Fragile Relationship’ was given by Prof. Howard Goldblatt (2nd right), the foremost translator of modern and contemporary Chinese fiction. He spoke about how he entered the field of translation, and his views on translation theories, the issue of being ‘faithful’ and of domestication and foreignization. Best known as the English translator of the Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, Professor Goldblatt shared his first-hand experiences of working with this literary giant, and offered a unique insight for young translators who hope to discover and understand the world of literary translation.

The second lectures ‘From Sinology to Translation and Back Again’ was given by Prof. David Pollard (1st left), a leading translator of Chinese classical and modern prose. Professor Pollard, now retired, was professor of Chinese at SOAS, University of London, and later Professor of Translation at CUHK. His rich experience in both sinology and translation studies enables him to link the fields together, and through the story of his career, the audience was able to catch a glimpse of the start, the changes and the development of both fields and how they influence each other.