A large Chinese delegation comprising 40 officials, publishers, writers, and intellectuals are attending the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair this year, in order to support the Emirati-Chinese cultural relations, discuss the exchange of copyrights, China’s experience in self-publishing and its future, the Arab-Chinese Copyright Forum, and other common cultural matters. .
The “Forum for Dialogue of Asian Civilizations – Arab-Chinese Cooperation in the Field of Publishing – Prospects and Opportunities” is being held in the presence of 10 Chinese publishing houses and 5 Chinese speakers, headed by the Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, “Zhang Yiming”.
Among the important seminars in this regard is a symposium entitled “Chinese Literature through Arab Eyes”, on the famous Chinese novel “The Messenger”, in the presence of its author, Liu Lingcheng, head of the Xinjiang Writers’ Union.
Therefore, the session comes as a model for Arab-Chinese cooperation in the field of publishing, to discuss the cultural and professional aspect of the journey of publishing this novel in Arabic through interventions from Chinese and Arab publishers. The session celebrates Chinese literature translated into Arabic.
As for the cultural program, it will have active Chinese participation, represented by a meeting with the famous Chinese writer and pioneer of suspense literature “Cai Jun” about youth literature in China and transforming literary works for the screen.
Tsai Jun is one of the prominent literary figures in China, and it is hosted by the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair to inform the audience about the reality and experiences of modern Chinese literature, share with the audience his experience in suspense literature, and present the Chinese experience in transforming literary works into series and films.
Also participating in the exhibition is Yao Haijun, deputy general manager of World Science Fiction, president of the Chengdu Science Fiction Association, and co-founder of the China Science Fiction Prize. He established the first science fiction center in China in 1988, scouted many new writers, and started the “Science Fiction Vision Project”, which launched the world’s best-selling “Three-Body” series. It also won the China Science Fiction Nebula Award for Best Editor.
The other writer is Liu Liangcheng, born in the far west of China, where several languages and cultures coexist. His work “My Personal Village” caused a sensation at home and abroad. Among his other works are “The Messenger”, “Chisel it Through”, “Soft Earth” and “In Xinjiang” – all focusing on the Xinjiang village where he lived for years – hence his reputation as a “pastoral philosopher”. He won the 2014 Lu Xun Literary Award, the most important literary award in China. Many of his articles and novels have been included in the textbooks of Chinese middle schools and colleges.
The list also includes writer John Cai, who was born in December 1978 in Shanghai. He is a member of the Chinese Writers Association, and has published works since 2000. His novel sales have reached 5 million copies.
The large Chinese participation in the Abu Dhabi Book Fair raises the issue of translation from Chinese into Arabic in order to convey the meanings, spirit and literary aesthetic that Chinese literature enjoys.
It must be mentioned that the translation from Chinese into Arabic dates back to an ancient period, as Chinese literature has been studied in the Arab world for a long time. Chinese literary works vary between poetry, novel, theatre, short story, philosophy, essay, historical literature and other literary genres.
There are many translators and interpreters working on translating Chinese literature into Arabic, but their number is limited in relation to this wide and varied literature. The translation provides a deep understanding of the Chinese and Arabic cultures, provided that the literary style, rhythm, distribution and visual images that characterize Chinese literature are preserved. Not translated from intermediate languages as is currently the case.
Translation is a cultural bridge through which Arab readers can explore Chinese literary works, understand the vision of Chinese writers and their unique experiences, and enrich the Arab literary scene with diversity and cultural pluralism.
This participation also proposes the translation of Arabic literature into the Chinese language, which is in need of the work of cultural institutions of all kinds.
2023-05-19 20:05:20
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