The Confucius Institute of the University of Aberdeen’s Festival of Chinese Translation is back for 2022! Following its well received debut last year, the online programme of paid workshops and free talks focusing on literary translation run in conjunction with Paper Republic will return next month from 13th June to 2nd July. Events are aimed at professional and aspiring translators, and will cover a wide and fascinating range of topics.
COST:
Workshops cost £30 each (£20 for students). A discounted price is available for anyone signing up for all six sessions. Registration is via the online store.
Lectures are free but registration is required via Eventbrite.
WORKSHOPS:
All workshops are online. Places are limited for optimum benefit to participants so do book your place as soon as possible. In most cases, workshop materials will be sent out in advance of the event. If you have any queries about our Festival of Chinese Translation programme, please get in touch at confucius@abdn.ac.uk.
Translating A Yi (Literary Prose Translation Workshop)
Monday 13 June, 14:00-16:00 BST
Participants will explore translating an excerpt from Wake Me Up at Nine in the Morning (《早上九点叫醒我》) by ex-cop author A Yi 阿乙. We’ll tackle a chapter in which a hapless anti-hero and his psychopathic girlfriend begin their love affair. Sweet, to start with, but a gruesome killing spree looms. You’ll enjoy creating lots of gritty dialogue and experimenting with the rhythm of the language. Led by Nicky Harman. Book your place here.
Non-Language-Specific Manuscript Editing
Wednesday 15 June, 14:00-16:00 BST
Participants will come prepared with a page-long sample translation of literary or genre prose of their choice to share with the rest of the group. In the workshop, we will discuss each other’s samples, looking at both sentence-level elements and big picture questions, with the goal being for every participant to leave at the end feeling confident about how they can approach the more challenging aspects of their chosen sample text and the rest of the work it is extracted from. Led by Jack Hargreaves. Book your place here.
How to Pitch to Publishers
Monday 20 June, 18:00-20:00 BST
Pitching to publishers is one of the more enigmatic aspects of finding work in literary translation. What are editors looking for? What will catch their attention and draw them in? What is a pitch? This workshop will give participants the chance to discuss and put together a short pitch either for a book they love or a book pre-selected by the workshop leader, and to do a test-run pitch to a publisher who will provide feedback. Led by Eric Abrahamsen with Juliet Mabey, co-founder of Oneworld Publications. Book your place here.
Subtitling
Wednesday 22 June, 14:00-16:00 BST
Ever been curious about giving subtitling a film or TV show a try? If so, this is the workshop for you. It will focus on the technical and stylistic aspects of subtitling, with a brief introduction of the technology and software used in the field. Led by Deborah Chan. Book your place here.
Translating Children's Books
Monday 27 June, 14:00-16:00 BST
A taste of what it's like to translate children's books between two very different languages and cultures, this workshop gives participants the chance to translate from Chinese into English, with some discussion of translating in the opposite direction, allowing for a more comprehensive look at the process, and a better understanding of the similarities and differences between translating in each direction. Led by Helen Wang and Stephanie Gou. Book your place here.
Translating Brands – Mixed Media Transcreation
Wednesday 29 June, 14:00-16:00 BST
Experience what it’s like to translate all sorts of marketing copy, from brand guidelines to advertising messages and corporate slogans. In this session we'll look at different texts in Chinese and open up a discussion about what to consider when translating into English. Led by Emily Jones. Book your place here.
LECTURES:
These online lectures are free. Registration is via Eventbrite.
The Business of Translation: A Roundtable
Saturday 18 June, 15:00-16:00 BST
If you aspire to be a literary translator, either part- or full-time, becoming good at the act of translation itself is a good start. But a long-lasting career in the field requires more than just that: we need to know how to negotiate a contract and what to look out for, how copyright works, and how to manage a project that might last six months or more; not to mention what makes a good reader’s report, what you can do to keep yourself ticking over during the sometimes worryingly long gaps between projects, and so, so much more. Led by Eric Abrahamsen and Jack Hargreaves. Register your place here.
Paper Republic Translation Slam: Wuxia
Saturday 25 June, 13:00-14:00 BST
Gigi Chang (one of the translators of Jin Yong’s books) and Alice Xin Liu (a translator for whom wuxia is new territory) go head-to-head on a martial art, or wuxia, text, producing two very different translations and each trying to persuade you that theirs is best. Which one do you prefer and why? How would you have done it? Whose approach might you use in your own translations in the future? These are all questions you can answer at this hour-long event and Q&A. Register your place here.
Hard Roads an Cauld Hairst Winds: Li Bai an Du Fu in Scots: A Personal Perspective on Translating Chinese Poetry into English and Scots
Saturday 2 July, 10:00-11:00 BST
Brian Holton will talk about his practice as a translator of Chinese poetry into both English and Scots, touching on how he began and how his technique has developed and changed during a lifetime of teaching, translating and pondering the matter of how (or whether) meaning and poetic nuance can be transferred from one culture to another.
He will consider how we might make classical Chinese literature available to a wider readership, and will read and draw examples from his Scots translations of Classical Chinese poetry, Hard Roads an Cauld Hairst Winds: Li Bai an Du Fu in Scots (Taproot Press 2022), and Aa Cled Wi Clouds She Cam (forthcoming, Irish Pages, 2022). Register your place here.
For more information, click here.