Sijin Featured in CLD Translation Slam—Again!

I'm honored to have been invited back to the translation slam event of the Chinese Language Division of the American Translators Association after participating in the inaugural into-Chinese edition three years ago, this time going in the other direction: from Chinese to English. I had a blast today nerding out with my co-panelists, Nathan and Christoph, as we discussed our translation approaches and commented on one another's work.

The text we worked on is an excerpt from a blog post by Ms. Jiang Fangzhou, a renowned Chinese writer, critiquing the prevalence of algorithm-worshipping in the Chinese social media space. In my opening remark, I likened the style of Chinese essay writing to an elusive dragon in a misty forest, the ever-shifting shape of which can present a challenge to Western readers, who are used to well-defined and coherent narratives.

In my rendition, I made sure to make the implicit logical connections explicit, bridging the transitions with clear signposting. This exercise was a critical reminder that translation, especially literary translation in this case, goes beyond simple linguistic equivalence, or word-for-word conversion. We are connectors of two linguistic traditions, and adaptation is how we make the work in one language relevant and accessible to the audience in another. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to give my translation a read!