On the afternoon of June 10th, 2023, the Youth Workshop on the theme “Creativity of ‘Translation’ in the Sino-European Context” was successfully hosted by the School of Humanities at Tongji University. The workshop, convened by Cong Ziyu[丛子钰], Liu Yijia[刘祎家], and Chen Chang[陈昶], teachers from the School of Humanities, attracted 18 esteemed scholars and experts from Fudan University, East China Normal University, Donghua University, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai Theatre Academy, “Shanghai Culture” magazine, and the Orient Publishing Center for an engaging and fruitful discussion.
The opening speech was delivered by Professor Xu Weixiang, director of the Institute for European Thought and Culture at Tongji University. He focused on the standards of literary translation, emphasizing the need for translations to maintain the "faithfulness" and "expressiveness" of the original text. He highlighted the delicate balance between retaining the original style and adapting it to reflect Chinese aesthetics.
The first half of the workshop was moderated by Assistant Professor Liu Yijia from the School of Humanities at Tongji University.
Associate Professor Yao Yunfan from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at East China Normal University presented on "Rethinking 'Over-Translation'," with three kinds of untranslatability. Drawing from Benjamin's "The Task of the Translator" and "On Language as Such and on the Language of Man," she emphasized the distinction between "naming" and "words" and introduced the concept of "over-translation." Over-translation, she argued, stems from a desire for transparency in translation, yet it complicates cross-cultural communication.
Associate Professor Gu Wenyan from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at East China Normal University discussed "Free Translation, Literal Translation, Word-for-Word Translation: Along with the DeepL Translator." She examined the strategies of free translation by Yan Fu, literal translation by Lu Xun, and the use of Lu Xun's "literal translation" concept by West German writer Hans Christoph Buch, who defended himself against potential accusations of mistranslation. Furthermore, she pointed out the limits of translation tools, including failures to establish a connection with readers and suppression of the creativity of translators.
Professor Li Shuangzhi from the Department of German Language and Literature at Fudan University explored "Translation Movements and the Imagination of World Literature." Spanning from the 18th century to the present, he illustrated various stages of translation movements by referencing the discourse on world literature by figures such as Goethe and Hesse. He showcased how translation movements stimulate, nurture, and reconstruct the imagination of world literature.
Assistant Professor Chen Chang from the School of Humanities at Tongji University examined "Mu Dan's Works and Translations," focusing on Mu Dan's self-translated poems. She contemplated how different languages creatively transform through "translation" and discussed the influence of Mu Dan's self-translated poems on integrating contemporary Chinese vernacular poetry into the global poetic landscape.
Associate Professor Ma Xin from the School of Marxism at Donghua University delved into "Alienation in Translation." She raised the question of whether translations can be considered as creative works. She argued that the original work is an organic entity, and translators act as intermediaries. In the process of translation, the original work experiences rebirth, echoing Benjamin's concept of “afterlife” and also the concept of “alienation” in Hegel's philosophy.
“Shanghai Culture” magazine's editor, Mr. Mu Ye, responded positively to the first half of the workshop, providing concise summaries of the speakers' presentations. He probed into the essence of translation by exploring Chinese characters sharing the same semantic components as "译" (translation), such as "驿" (relay station), "泽" (marsh), "释" (explanation), and "翻" (flip). He extended the discussion beyond the realms of "faithfulness" and "expressiveness," suggesting the presence of something not necessarily "elegant" but essential, nurturing the soul of translation.
The second half of the workshop was presided over by Professor Li Shuangzhi.
Associate Professor Zhai Yueqin from the Department of Theatre Literature at Shanghai Theatre Academy presented on "Creative “Translation' Activities on the Contemporary Theatre Stage: A Case Study of Polish Director Krystian Lupa's Cross-Cultural Theatre Adaptatio”. She emphasized the collective efforts of the whole cast in the theatre delivery of Lupa's works, such as his adaptation of Shi Tiesheng's "The Imagination of a Drama with a Film as Stage Background" into the play "MOFEI." This adaptation showcased not only the cross-cultural interpretation of Chinese literature by a Polish director, but also intercultural exchanges among translators, playwrights, directors, actors, and stage designers.
Post-doctoral fellow Lu Lixia from the School of Humanities at Shanghai Normal University explored "Translated Literature and the Writing of Contemporary Chinese Literary History." She discussed the intricate relationship between translated literature and the new emotional structures of contemporary writers. While the position of translated literature in contemporary literary history remains unclear, foreign translators and interpreters' cultural choices have influenced the reconstruction of Chinese literature's position within the global literary spectrum.
Associate Professor Tao Lei from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University examined "‘Similarity in Diversity, Unity in Dao’: Yan Fu's Cultural Orientation and Academic Translation." Tao revealed the profound cultural motives behind Yan Fu's translations, emphasizing Yan Fu's desire to "understand the ancient" through Western learning. Yan Fu aimed to bridge the gap between "China" and "the West," "tradition" and "modernity," seeking a universal principle in human cultural development and aspiring for an ideal state of "similarity in diversity, unity in Dao."
Assistant Professor Cong Ziyu from the School of Humanities at Tongji University presented on "The Translation of the Untranslatable Texts: A Discussion on Adorno's Translation Perspective". He tackled the inherent contradiction in translation—the existence of the "untranslatable," which necessarily entails loss, and the presence of the "unnecessary to translate." Adorno proposed preserving the tension between the translatable and the untranslatable.
Qin Sanshu, a lecturer in Comparative Literature and Romance Languages at Fudan University, delivered a lecture titled "When Comparative Literature Encounters Untranslatability: Reassessing the Expansion of Bonnefoy's 'Presential Poetics' in his Translation Theory". He emphasized the poetic theories of French poet Yves Bonnefoy. Due to the inherent corporeality in poetry, the feasibility and profundity of translating poetry are more direct. Translation, by seeking the presential quality in a shared territory, offers a unique opportunity for expression. The fundamental source of untranslatability lies in concepts, as they obscure the essence of poetry and should be paid less attention to by translators.
Assistant Professor Liu Yijia from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Tongji University presented "The Translator's Task: Benjamin and Lu Xun". Benjamin's translations renewed the consciousness and language of the original works, while Lu Xun's translations revitalized the existing Chinese grammar and modes of expression. Attention should be given to the establishment of language subjectivity.
Assistant Professor Liu Yuan from the School of Humanities at Tongji University explored "‘I Tore Out My Heart to Eat It' From a Modern Perspective: Focusing on Xiong Bingming's ‘Selections from Diary on Rodin’". She analyzed how Xiong Bingming established a connection between himself and Rodin in his translation of the book, linking it with Western art and culture. This connection constituted a self-experimentation, marking the transition of him from a translator-as-artist to a mature artist.
Chen Zhehong, an editor from the Orient Publishing Center, shared the challenges faced by translation in the publishing industry, such as lack of recognition and perception of insufficient originality. He demonstrated how publishers creatively handle translated book titles and discussed the impact of dissemination on translation.
Qiu Jiayue, a doctoral student from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, shared her exploration and practice of translation in the field of architecture. She elaborated on the temporal and spatial transcensions in translation, aiming for readers to form their own associations and interpretations.
Professor Zhu Jun from the School of Humanities at Shanghai Normal University reviewed the discussions by several scholars on the translation related to Yan Fu during the second half of the workshop. He drew inspiration from Zhang Taiyan's criticism of Yan Fu and Lin Shu, which has sparked a contemporary debate on translation.
At the end of the workshop, Professor Xu Weixiang made a sammarization. He noted that the scholars echoed the two translation directions of the Renaissance: one following scholastic-style literal translation, the other adopting humanistic-style free translation. He emphasized that literary translation, as the "art of language," deserves further contemplation. He expressed his hope that this workshop should foster deeper research and collaboration in this area.
