tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post3939472948332971764..comments2023-08-19T12:02:43.740-04:00Comments on An Immigrant's Evolving Perspective: On "Translationese"Xujunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-35139850615069668702011-09-28T17:16:20.853-04:002011-09-28T17:16:20.853-04:00fiefoe, that's a good one.fiefoe, that's a good one.Xujunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-80531549849776261772011-09-28T15:31:03.871-04:002011-09-28T15:31:03.871-04:00Very late to the party... But it occurred to me th...Very late to the party... But it occurred to me that the line 'Unless he has eaten a leopard’s gallbladder.' can be changed to 'Unless he has the gall of a leopard.' This hides half of the original Chinese phrase, but still preserves a bit of its flavor.fiefoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01993198952807166302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-38196732287706602972008-12-20T13:06:00.000-05:002008-12-20T13:06:00.000-05:00Hi Donna, Bien, and Linda, your comments are all v...Hi Donna, Bien, and Linda, your comments are all very helpful. I truly appreciate your input.Xujunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-24050692561463656182008-12-20T12:38:00.000-05:002008-12-20T12:38:00.000-05:00I agree with Donna. I LOVED the Chinese flavor of ...I agree with Donna. I LOVED the Chinese flavor of the speech. These are Chinese stories and I want to feel the essence of the culture. The gallbladder bit was the only phrase I totally did not understand but was very intrigued by...perhaps following it with a translation? "Cherry Blossoms in Twilight," my Japanese mother's life story during WWII, also has "awkward" sentences because that is how my mother speaks, and readers have enjoyed the "Japanese-ness."<BR/><BR/>My own comments about awkwardness in "Apologies" stem from basics - missing quote marks around speech, esp during conversations - as well as some confusion because of wording that has nothing to do with "Chinese-ness." Strangely, I noted this just in the first few stories.<BR/><BR/>Overall "Apologies" is an outstanding collection of very intelligently (and cleverly) written shorts that drive home the tragedy of life around the Revolution in a very thought-provoking manner.Linda Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12440198392313322295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-37958434472357066572008-12-19T17:26:00.000-05:002008-12-19T17:26:00.000-05:00While my mind read the more Chinese version (1st) ...While my mind read the more Chinese version (1st) in English, it also simultaneously took it in in the original Chinese way. The 2nd is a bit smoother but lack of a certain flavor. <BR/><BR/>I asked an American friend who knows a little bit Chinese, he said the 1st version made more sense, "because it's clear without having to think about it. with the second one, you have to understand something to see how the exception might apply.", then he added " ...i didn't understand the semantics just the syntax."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-42003084628263996062008-12-19T13:29:00.000-05:002008-12-19T13:29:00.000-05:00My perspective might not be typical because I've t...My perspective might not be typical because I've taught English in Japan and spoke Japan-glish as well as an attempt at Japanese (I shudder to think what language that really was) while I lived there. I only know a bit of Chinese, but I am also aware of how Asian languages (and people) are parodied in our culture.<BR/><BR/>That said, I had absolutely no trouble with "awkwardness" in your prose. To me the Chinese sayings and figures of speech added flavor, a sense of being closer to the way the Chinese construct the world through chosen images. Any reader of <I>Apologies Forthcoming</I> will be quickly aware they've signed on to a trip to China--the seasoned traveler realizes she has much to gain from being open to the differences in culture. No, we don't talk about a leopard's gallbladder in English, but that jolt of novelty is thought-provoking and pleasant. In genre fiction, we want to be soothed, in literature, we can expect some challenges.<BR/><BR/>But sure, as Lucas mentioned, there probably are a few places where things could be smoothed out. The example you gave is one. Without worrying it to death, I think your rewrite is smoother and easier for a Western audience to understand without pause. In general, though, I think the prose works beautifully.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13615190390845433428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-34744076134506701252008-12-18T17:35:00.000-05:002008-12-18T17:35:00.000-05:00Hi Lucas,You've written a serious review - it dese...Hi Lucas,<BR/><BR/>You've written a serious review - it deserves to be taken seriously. Thank you very much! And the question you asked in the above comment is again a serious one and deserves more thought.Xujunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-34396350753322887062008-12-18T13:51:00.000-05:002008-12-18T13:51:00.000-05:00Thanks for your very thoughtful response to my rev...Thanks for your very thoughtful response to my review from Rain Taxi. I'm glad to see someone taking my writing so seriously!<BR/><BR/>I also think you make a good observation in your previous post, when you say, about your use of noticeably Chinese expression: "While many native English speakers seem to enjoy this aspect of my writing, it is curious that the mixed feelings come mostly from those who know the Chinese language." While non-speakers of Chinese might appreciate the freshness, perhaps those of us who speak Chinese are more sensitive to how that language has been parodied in the English-speaking world, and hate to see it reduced.<BR/><BR/>Still, I wouldn't want to diminish what is unique about Chinese in favor of an Americanization of expression, either. I think it's best dealt with on a case-by-case basis, just as you've done. And while some instances may not work, many of them do.<BR/><BR/>How else are we--no matter where we're from--going to reconcile the opposite extremes that threaten to impede cross-cultural interaction: Are we all irreducibly the same, or are we all irreducibly different? The writing I like is writing that allows us to find real similarities and differences amongst ourselves between those two poles.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again for your response to my review.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-41498484503022351992008-12-18T10:12:00.000-05:002008-12-18T10:12:00.000-05:00Hi Robert. Thanks for the sensible comment. You ar...Hi Robert. Thanks for the sensible comment. You are not alone in the opinion "Better to lose a bit of Chineseness color than to jolt the reader." In fact you are probably with the majority of readers. :-) Yet I'm still debating myself whether there is merit in keeping a bit more Chineseness even it jolts the reader sometimes,as everything comes with a price.Xujunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-2598607820933603602008-12-17T22:04:00.000-05:002008-12-17T22:04:00.000-05:00I'd make it "Who'd dare to disobey..." because the...I'd make it "Who'd dare to disobey..." because the Chinese expression literally translated is so far from any English equivalent as to jolt the reader. This is something authors should do only rarely and with carefully considered intent.<BR/><BR/>But perhaps there's an English colloquial saying that would fit the _emotional_ sense of the Chinese phrase? I'm not sure here.<BR/><BR/>My hunch is it's probably better to opt for the "who'd dare" locution, even if it's a bit ordinary. Better to lose a bit of Chineseness color than to jolt the reader irrelevantly.Robert Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266891819395609976noreply@blogger.com