{"id":12048,"date":"2026-10-14T20:43:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T12:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=12048"},"modified":"2026-10-14T20:44:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T12:44:19","slug":"ajia-on-translation_2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2026\/10\/14\/ajia-on-translation_2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Mul\u00adti\u00adple Iden\u00adti\u00adty \u2013 Trans\u00adla\u00adtors as Advo\u00adcates and Bridges"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

*This is a tran\u00adscript of a speech giv\u00aden dur\u00ading the trans\u00adla\u00adtor-themed dia\u00adlogue ses\u00adsion on the morn\u00ading of May 27th at the 2023 Sin\u00adga\u00adpore AFCC (Asian Chil\u00addren\u2019s Book Fes\u00adti\u00adval).For event details, please refer to their offi\u00adcial web\u00adsite link.<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Chi\u00adnese Man\u00adu\u00adscript]<\/p>\n

First of all, I would like to express my sin\u00adcere grat\u00adi\u00adtude to the Sin\u00adga\u00adpore Book Coun\u00adcil for the invi\u00adta\u00adtion. This year, I am once again par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpat\u00ading in the AFCC event, and this is my first time attend\u00ading in per\u00adson (rather than online). I am delight\u00aded to see that the Sin\u00adga\u00adpore Book Coun\u00adcil has orga\u00adnized numer\u00adous events relat\u00aded to book trans\u00adla\u00adtion, demon\u00adstrat\u00ading its strong empha\u00adsis on this top\u00adic. With so many peo\u00adple from dif\u00adfer\u00adent cul\u00adtur\u00adal back\u00adgrounds and speak\u00ading dif\u00adfer\u00adent lan\u00adguages on Earth, the abil\u00adi\u00adty to coex\u00adist peace\u00adful\u00adly, appre\u00adci\u00adate each oth\u00ader, learn from each oth\u00ader, and pro\u00admote mutu\u00adal progress large\u00adly depends on trans\u00adla\u00adtion, right? The work of trans\u00adla\u00adtion cer\u00adtain\u00adly deserves suf\u00adfi\u00adcient atten\u00adtion.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

I think we trans\u00adla\u00adtors are par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly hap\u00adpy to be here to share expe\u00adri\u00adences beyond pure lan\u00adguage trans\u00adla\u00adtion. To be hon\u00adest, trans\u00adla\u00adtion itself has a very demand\u00ading side; tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly speak\u00ading, it can be very chal\u00adleng\u00ading, and some tasks even seem impos\u00adsi\u00adble. While it\u2019s sat\u00adis\u00adfy\u00ading to over\u00adcome the dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties and achieve the goal, the tech\u00adni\u00adcal details can be quite tedious for the aver\u00adage read\u00ader. I\u2019m glad to be here today to talk about the more fun side of being a trans\u00adla\u00adtor.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

I have trans\u00adlat\u00aded near\u00adly three hun\u00addred pic\u00adture books.There are now near\u00adly four hun\u00addred books.<\/a>(This main\u00adly involves trans\u00adlat\u00ading from Eng\u00adlish to Chi\u00adnese.) I am a sto\u00adry\u00adteller who fre\u00adquent\u00adly tells sto\u00adries to chil\u00addren, such as in book\u00adstores, libraries, or schools.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

I am also a researcher with a par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar inter\u00adest in the his\u00adto\u00adry of pic\u00adture books, and I have writ\u00adten a book called *A Brief His\u00adto\u00adry of Pic\u00adture Books*, which intro\u00adduces the devel\u00adop\u00adment of pic\u00adture books world\u00adwide. There\u00adfore, I enjoy sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly study\u00ading the over\u00adall works of cer\u00adtain cre\u00adators, and for\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, pub\u00adlish\u00aders have been will\u00ading to give me the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to trans\u00adlate their works in a con\u00adcen\u00adtrat\u00aded man\u00adner. For exam\u00adple, I trans\u00adlat\u00aded Beat\u00adrix Pot\u00adter\u2019s com\u00adplete \u201cPeter Rab\u00adbit World,\u201d more than 20 \u201cMiffy\u201d books by Dick Bruna, 20 pic\u00adture books by Antho\u00adny Browne and his auto\u00adbi\u00adog\u00adra\u00adphy *Shape Play*, and 19 books by Leo Lion\u00adni, includ\u00ading my favorite *Fred\u00ader\u00adick*. I must say, being able to trans\u00adlate the works of cre\u00adators I admire is tru\u00adly a very hap\u00adpy thing.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n

Let me start by talk\u00ading about the 23 books in \u201cThe World of Peter Rab\u00adbit.\u201d It took me eight years to trans\u00adlate this series. Yes, if I were to go into the tech\u00adni\u00adcal details of trans\u00adlat\u00ading it, you\u2019d prob\u00ada\u00adbly all fall asleep\u2014it\u2019s so tedious. How\u00adev\u00ader, some parts are quite fun, like the nurs\u00adery rhymes.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Miss Pot\u00adter was raised by a Scot\u00adtish nan\u00adny, a com\u00admon prac\u00adtice in wealthy Vic\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan fam\u00adi\u00adlies. These nan\u00adnies were par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly skilled at singing nurs\u00adery rhymes to chil\u00addren, and Miss Pot\u00adter was fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00aded by this. There\u00adfore, she often includ\u00aded nurs\u00adery rhymes in her books, usu\u00adal\u00adly her own adap\u00adta\u00adtions, but most of them were singable. Trans\u00adlat\u00ading rhyming nurs\u00adery rhymes is not easy in itself, and trans\u00adlat\u00ading them into a way that can be sung in the tar\u00adget lan\u00adguage is even more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult, some\u00adwhat like trans\u00adlat\u00ading songs. For exam\u00adple, in *The Tale of Brand the Pig*, there is a rhyme that goes like this:<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
\n

\u201c\u201cTom, Tom, the piper\u2019s son,\u201d, <\/p>\n

He stole a pig and ran away!<\/p>\n

But all the tune that he could play,<\/p>\n

was \u2018Over the hills and far away!\u2019 \u201d\u2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It sounds beau\u00adti\u00adful, right? It took me about three weeks to make it playable in Chi\u00adnese, like this:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201c\u201cTom, Tom, known as the King of the Flute\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so ner\u00advous after steal\u00ading a lit\u00adtle pig!<\/p>\n

But he does\u00adn\u2019t know any oth\u00ader songs.<\/p>\n

All they do is \u2018trav\u00adel over moun\u00adtains and rivers to dis\u00adtant places!\u2019\u2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/figure>\n

Not per\u00adfect, but accept\u00adable, right? Read\u00aders famil\u00adiar with both lan\u00adguages may find that the trans\u00adla\u00adtion does not cor\u00adre\u00adspond word for word to the orig\u00adi\u00adnal, but the mean\u00ading is sim\u00adi\u00adlar, and more impor\u00adtant\u00adly, the rhythm and taste are sim\u00adi\u00adlar.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is an assump\u00adtion in trans\u00adla\u00adtion strate\u00adgies:Assum\u00ading the orig\u00adi\u00adnal author is also pro\u00adfi\u00adcient in the tar\u00adget lan\u00adguage, how would he\/she use the tar\u00adget lan\u00adguage to achieve an equiv\u00ada\u00adlent effect, so that read\u00aders in the tar\u00adget cul\u00adtur\u00adal envi\u00adron\u00adment can also nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly accept and under\u00adstand it?<\/strong>In this process, the trans\u00adla\u00adtor actu\u00adal\u00adly becomes a Cul\u00adtur\u00adal Medi\u00ada\u00adtor, more like a bridge between two cul\u00adtures.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Works that tran\u00adscend geo\u00adgraph\u00adi\u00adcal, tem\u00adpo\u00adral, lin\u00adguis\u00adtic, and cul\u00adtur\u00adal bound\u00adaries are not easy to under\u00adstand, but once you make the effort to over\u00adcome these bar\u00adri\u00aders, you\u2019ll find that we are actu\u00adal\u00adly quite sim\u00adi\u00adlar. The best way to under\u00adstand the world of \u201cPeter Rab\u00adbit\u201d is to expe\u00adri\u00adence it first\u00adhand in the Eng\u00adlish Lake Dis\u00adtrict, where these lit\u00adtle books were born. I\u2019ve been to the Lake Dis\u00adtrict three times: once with my daugh\u00adter, and twice with fam\u00adi\u00adly tour groups, where I told sto\u00adries to the chil\u00addren and act\u00aded as a cul\u00adtur\u00adal guide for the entire group.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Some\u00adtimes I won\u00adder if we trans\u00adla\u00adtors are like tour guides? We take tourists to places that may have been unfa\u00admil\u00adiar, to dis\u00adcov\u00ader inter\u00adest\u00ading peo\u00adple and things, but the real expe\u00adri\u00adence is up to the read\u00aders them\u00adselves.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Over the years, I\u2019ve writ\u00adten many arti\u00adcles about Miss Pot\u00adter and \u201cThe World of Peter Rab\u00adbit,\u201d pub\u00adlished on web\u00adsites, in mag\u00ada\u00adzines, and in books, total\u00ading prob\u00ada\u00adbly over 100,000 words. The more I research her, the more I appre\u00adci\u00adate the great\u00adness of this woman, so I hope read\u00aders can gain a deep\u00ader under\u00adstand\u00ading of Miss Pot\u00adter and find inspi\u00adra\u00adtion and enlight\u00aden\u00adment in her life.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Recent\u00adly in Bei\u00adjing, a group of friends orga\u00adnized an exhi\u00adbi\u00adtion called \u201cThe World of Peter Rab\u00adbit: An Eter\u00adnal Adven\u00adture,\u201d and I was one of the cura\u00adto\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal con\u00adsul\u00adtants. Coin\u00adci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly, it opens today in Bei\u00adjing, and I will be par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpat\u00ading in the open\u00ading cer\u00ade\u00admo\u00adny online this after\u00adnoon. This exhi\u00adbi\u00adtion pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly uses sto\u00adry set\u00adtings to help chil\u00addren expe\u00adri\u00adence the world, while also intro\u00adduc\u00ading adult read\u00aders to Miss Pot\u00adter\u2019s life and works. I believe that adults and chil\u00addren in Chi\u00adna today can also feel that pow\u00ader\u00adful vital\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

I am hap\u00adpy to play mul\u00adti\u00adple roles as a trans\u00adla\u00adtor: sto\u00adry\u00adteller, author, edi\u00adtor, researcher, cul\u00adtur\u00adal inter\u00adme\u00addi\u00adary, guide, advo\u00adcate and bridge\u2026 although it seems that we are not paid enough.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Thank you every\u00adone! That\u2019s all for now.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n

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