Translation of Contemporary Taiwan Literature in a Cross-Cultural Context A Translation Studies Perspective Routledge Studies in Chinese Translation Series

Translation of Contemporary Taiwan Literature in a Cross-Cultural Context explores the social, cultural, and linguistic implications of translation of Taiwan literature for transnational cultural exchange. It demonstrates principally how asymmetrical cultural relationships, mediation processes, and ideologies of the translation players constitute the culture-specific translation activity as a highly contested site, where translation can reconstruct and rewrite the literature and the culture it represents.

Four main theoretical themes are explored in relation to such translation activity: sociological studies, cultural and rewriting studies, English as a lingua franca, and social and performative linguistics. These offer insightful perspectives on the translation as an interpretive encounter between not only two languages, two cultural systems and assumptions taking place, but also among various translation mediators.

This book will be useful to scholars and students working on translation and cultural studies, China/Taiwan literature studies, and literature studies in cross-cultural contexts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The interdisciplinarity of Translation Studies

A brief overview: translation of Taiwan literature

Structure of the book

Chapter One: Conceptualising the Translation of Taiwan Literature as a Social Act

Defining sociological approaches

Bourdieu’s theory of social practice

Latour’s actor-network theory (ANT)

Case studies: The interplay of the social influences of players in translation

Laying the foundations: Individual efforts and influences during the early phase

Cross-cultural networks in the production of translations

Discussion and implications

Chapter Two. The Translation and Rewriting of Taiwan Literature: A Contextual Perspective

The cultural approach in translation studies

Paratext

Ideology, poetics, and translation as rewriting

Translation as rewriting as seen in anthologisation and paratext

Discussion and concluding remarks

Chapter Three. Translation into English as a Way of Enhancing Visibility: A Case Study of the English Translation of Wintry Night, a Taiwanese Novel

English as a lingua franca and its functions

English as a lingua franca and its influence on translation flows

The dominance of English and its traces in textual practices

The case study: An English translation of Wintry Night

Discussion and concluding remarks

Chapter Four. Performative Linguistics in the Translation of Literary Cacophony

Linguistic approaches to translation studies: A dualistic view

A comparison of performative linguistics and constative linguistics

Case study: An act of language performance and re-performance in Rose, Rose, I Love You and its translation

Discussion and concluding remarks

CONCLUSION

Szu-Wen Kung (Dr.) is Assistant Professor at the Graduate Program in Translation and Interpretation, National Taiwan University, Taiwan.