Transcultural Poetics: Chinese Literature in English Translation ed. by Yifeng Sun and Dechao Li (review)

Reviewed by: Transcultural Poetics: Chinese Literature in English Translation ed. by Yifeng Sun and Dechao Li Guohui Jiang Transcultural Poetics: Chinese Literature in English Translation. Ed. by Yifeng Sun and Dechao Li. Routledge. 2023. vii+227 pp. £100 (pbk £26.39; ebk £39.99). ISBN 978–1–032–43622–7 (pbk 978–1–032–43629–6; ebk 978–1–003–36816–8). Transcultural Poetics stands as a monumental anthology that masterfully navigates the intricate terrain of rendering Chinese literary works accessible to a worldwide readership. Comprising twelve insightful chapters on transcultural poetics contributed by both Chinese and non-Chinese scholars, this volume will become a valuable resource for understanding the complexities and possibilities inherent in translating Chinese literature, including poetry, drama, and fiction, into English. In this context, 'Chinese literature' refers to literature written in Chinese, including Chinese texts written in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as in other parts of the world. One of the anthology's core strengths lies in its commitment to preserving the cultural authenticity, literary value, and aesthetic taste of Chinese literature. This focus ensures cultural awareness and accuracy in translations, preventing over-simplification or standardization, and promoting the preservation and propagation of the diverse spectrum of Chinese literature on a global scale. Emphasizing the preservation of cultural identities and literary traditions, several authors advocate for innovative approaches that bridge linguistic and cultural gaps while enhancing the appreciation of Chinese literature in a global context. In the first chapter, Yifeng Sun points out that 'when it comes to literary translation, the literary quality of the original text is of critical consideration, and it must be adequately and/or often creatively rendered in order to cope with the precarious instability of signification and performativity' (p. 8). Underscoring the challenges associated with the loss of 'anxiety' and 'trauma' in the English translation of the short stories of Xi Ni Er, a representative writer of Chinese literature in Singapore, Yi-Chiao Chen advocates for two primary strategies: one is translating original terms with analogous terms in the target culture; the other is providing annotations, preface, text analysis, and/or illustrations (p. 127). The book addresses various critical elements and themes within the translation process, not only enhancing comprehension of Chinese literary translation but [End Page 163] also offering diverse viewpoints and remedies for real-world translation challenges. Audrey Heijns finds that 'the translator's individual approach depends, for the greater part, on their perception of the special feature or central quality of the source text' (p. 62), which contributes to a nuanced understanding of the translator's role and the complexities involved in poetic translation. Wenjing Li takes a close look at how the concept of qing ( ) and the related term chun ( ) are represented in the English surtitles of The Peony Pavilion (The Young Lovers' Edition). Li points out that 'the interpreted interaction between the word and the stage must be encapsulated in a concise form. In the case of surtitling, it is often sufficient to make the meaning clear, which should help avoid distractions' (p. 110). Dechao Li demonstrates the application of a scenes-and-frames methodology, as suggested by Mary Snell-Hornby, in the translation of the cultural, literary, and linguistic hybridity of Chan Koon Chung's short story 'Kamdu Cha Canting'. In addition, the volume underscores the importance of understanding the global context in which Chinese literature is situated. To address the issue that translation anthologies of contemporary Chinese literature have not yet received sufficient attention in the English-speaking world, Xiulu Wang posits that embracing the 'Clamour of Voices' (p. 74), a term coined by David Der-wei Wang when compiling translation anthologies of contemporary Chinese literature, can facilitate the creation of a polyphonic literary space within China's contemporary literary translation landscape. In turn, Maialen Marin-Lacarta critiques the marginalization of Hong Kong literature within translation anthologies: All anthologizers assume that Hong Kong literature is written in Chinese, and there is often no need to remind readers about the languages spoken and written in Hong Kong or about the fact that the selected works have been translated. Hong Kong literature's key interstitial features, such as its linguistic...