One Story, Two Channels: Historical Memories, Transregional Resonances, and the Chinese Translation of State of Emergency 故事双声道:历史记忆,跨域共情,以及《紧急状态》的中译

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How did two translingual practitioners of varied backgrounds meet to translate a novel? For a country that claims to practice multiculturalism, what does the bilingual existence of a novel signify? Will resonances occasioned by literary translation ensure that a piece of near-forgotten history be better preserved? Works of Singapore English literature are now appearing in Chinese translation. The related endeavours reverse how English is usually harnessed as the target language of translation in Singapore. Also, they initiate meaningful reflections on the scope and definition of “Singapore Chinese literature,” and gesture toward a larger Chinese-language reading public beyond the island-state.

This session brings together Jeremy Tiang, author of State of Emergency (2018 Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction), and the novel’s translators Lim Woan Fei and Chen Si’an. The translated title Jinji zhuangtai is part of local independent bookstore-publisher City Boom Room’s “City Translation Series.” Together, the speakers will share their thoughts on issues ranging from motivations behind their translingual and transnational collaboration, to historical memories and connections among readers in a non-English language world.

两位出身背景迥然的译者,何以会携手翻译一部小说?在一个号称奉行多元文化主义的国度里,小说的双语存在意味着什么?一段行将被遗忘的历史,是否能经由文学翻译产生的共鸣与共情而被更好地保存下来?眼下新加坡英文文学陆续出现中译本。相关的实践不仅改变岛国文艺生态中惯性的翻译向道,对反思“新华文学”的容量与界定也深具意义,更指向外部一个广大的中文/华文阅读世界。

这场活动聚焦本地英文小说 State of Emergency 的中译本《紧急状态》。小说曾赢得2018年新加坡文学奖(英文小说组),其译本收录于新加坡独立书店城市书房的《城市译丛》出版计划。作家程异(Jeremy Tiang)将连同译者林琬绯与陈思安,围绕他们跨语兼跨国的实践,分享其创作初衷与合作过程,并就受众想象、历史记忆,以及中文/华文世界之连结等课题进行反思和交流。

Format: Bilingual, interpretation provided
形式:双语,现场提供传译

Registration 报名:https://www.gevme.com/stateofemergency

Date
Saturday, 27 May 2023

Time
19:00

Venue
SPH Auditorium (报业中心礼堂) --- 1000 Toa Payoh North, SPH News Centre Singapore 318994