…does translations, too?!
Yes! I have published multiple translations of Chinese texts into English. My most representative work is also my most recent, in Kunqu Masters on Chinese Theatrical Performance, created originally by Yip Siu Hung, and edited (tirelessly) by Josh Stenberg with the generous support of the Wintergreen Kunqu Society.
Although I want everyone to read the book in full, I understand that it is priced for an audience of academics and collectors. Thus, I am making a small excerpt of one of my translations available here. This heavily redacted version includes traces of the editorial commentary among the several reviewers and editors of the text, which reveals how I handled one of the challenges of this particular document through my translation philosophy.
Translation is a balance between accessibility for target readers and respect for the source text. Each project must be calibrated individually by its goals on these two fronts.
These conversations can get complicated, particularly if you’re working with material from the Qing dynasty.
What does your reader need to know?
Are you planning on citing an older translation? Are there any terms that bother you (e.g., Mongol vs. Mongolian?) or that you think will disturb some readers more than others?
Will you have more than one non-Roman alphabet in your text? Will key terms have glosses in multiple languages like Manchu, Chinese, and English? Will your romanized glosses stay consistent with source languages as used in modern-day nations or as used in the dynastic region under consideration (like Ulaanbaatar or Khüriye/Khuree)? Are you planning on in-text glosses or a back-of-text glossary? (How did this get so complicated?!)
Let’s talk about your plans for your translation or the role of translations in your text.
Qualifications
My Chinese language training was begun at the College of William and Mary, continued at Beijing Normal University, and then finished over several years at the University of Chicago with the benefit of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, a Critical Language Scholarship in Hong Kong and remotely during the pandemic, a Huayu Scholarship in Taipei, and a Blakemore Fellowship in Beijing.
I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all my funders for what they have helped me achieve. I strongly encourage those curious about the world to check out those links and explore similar programs to learn about another culture in another language. The rewards are boundless.
读写中文，中英翻译
Ink Wash Edits 