Today, I want to talk to you about translation, copyright export, and the response to our books among readers in the UK. The theme I’m sharing is the collision of ideas.
In today’s society, the awakening and deepening of people’s consciousness has become an important force driving social progress. The collision of ideas is the product of this awakening and deepening, and is also a force that drives the progress of human civilization.
In the field of translation, the collision of ideas between different cultures is a very common phenomenon. Translators need to face the differences in language, ideas, and values of different cultures, and these differences inevitably have a great impact on the quality and accuracy of translation.
Xi Ping’s “My Neighbor is an Elephant” is about a living city that changes with the times, becoming a memory for the people who live there and a part of his entire city life. Therefore, when reading his entire book, his words gave me a feeling of fluency, and coupled with the fact that Xi Ping is my classmate and close friend from the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, I almost translated his works in one go, without any hesitation or difficulty.
I have always believed that translating children’s literature is difficult and challenging. This is because translating children’s literature requires consideration of the acceptance and reading habits of child readers.
Selling a book to other countries may seem very easy. For example, recommending an English novel doesn’t require explaining the background, but when recommending a Chinese work, one must first paint a very good picture for British publishers or publishers of other languages, such as what China is like in the story, the time and space background, and what kind of character it is. We also need to think about how to make Westerners understand this character from multiple perspectives, what connection this task has with them, and why it can resonate with them. After they understand, we can start talking about specific details, such as the content of the book and the author.
For the past few decades, I have been doing the same thing: continuously meeting with publishers, chatting, and tirelessly explaining things until I can sell a book and sign a book.
The difficulty of translation becomes the primary consideration for foreign publishers to purchase Chinese book copyrights. Many publishers consider buying the English version of Chinese books. For purely Chinese books, they think twice, and some even reject them directly. Basically, Chinese books that sell well overseas are mostly translated by local sinologists. These sinologists understand both the domestic market and Chinese culture, so the works they translate are easily accepted by local people.
For me, I grew up in an English-speaking environment since I was young. Although English is my second language, the accumulation of language from childhood to adulthood makes the writing style, emotions, and value of the works I translate coincide with what I think in my heart. I am very happy to do what I like, which is fortunate for me, readers, and the literary industry.
In the field of copyright output of books, thought collision is also very important. For each book, I prepare a recommendation file, and I will translate about 10,000 words of samples, then meet with the editors of the publishing house again and again, spending about half a year or even longer to negotiate until we succeed.
Next, the editors of the publishing house will distribute samples of these stories to children and teachers of different ages and schools in different forms. If readers feedback that they do not understand or cannot accept certain translation methods, I will revise on the basis of the original work until the publishing house gives me a satisfactory answer, and then I will enter the formal translation stage.
Therefore, to some extent, both translation and copyright output are under pressure. Fortunately, after the translation work is completed, all English proofreading is done by the publishing house’s English editors after your copyright is sold.
In copyright exportation, there are differences in culture, laws, and regulations between different countries and regions. Therefore, we need to make corresponding adjustments and adaptations. In this process, clashes of ideas are inevitable. We need to balance the interests and needs of all parties while respecting cultural differences, promote communication and cooperation.
To make British publishers understand Chinese stories, we may need to spend extra time and effort to continuously accept Chinese culture and history, explain Chinese customs and language, and convey the core meaning of the stories.
I often think of the scene seven or eight years ago when I and Zhuo Ran, along with her team, were having afternoon tea at the Beijing International Hotel. That year, I flew from London to Beijing to give a few lectures. We talked about Chinese childhood and the books of Childhood China series from 1 pm to 8 pm. Two years later, in September 2019, the first ten volumes of Childhood China series edited by Yi Ping were published. In April 2020, the second ten volumes met with Chinese readers. The 20 authors who won the Bingxin Award are really great!
In April 2022, three English versions of the Childhood China series were unveiled at the London Book Fair. At the same time, the British publisher Kozban and British sinologists jointly held a book launch and symposium, and received support from the Chinese Embassy in the UK. Ambassador Yu Peng and Counsellor Wang Yun attended the book launch and made speeches. Our book launch was also supported by the University of the Arts London (UAL) and Mike, the President of the Royal Society of Arts, also attended and made a speech.
Our books have appeared in major bookstores in the UK and on Amazon, achieving a successful landing. Childhood China books have become an important cultural brand, bringing together many outstanding writers and works, becoming representatives of Chinese children’s literature. This brand has also enabled the world to understand Chinese children’s literature and has made important contributions to the dissemination and exchange of Chinese culture.
We hope that the Childhood China series can continue to launch more and better works in the future, allowing Chinese children’s literature to show greater charm and value on the international stage. Children all over the world can share books and become a large family, sharing their stories of joy, surprise, and touch. However, every excellent children’s literature work of a nation carries the clear imprint of that nation. Copyright exportation is not as difficult as we imagine. As long as we find the right direction, step by step, down-to-earth, we can see our books in more and more European and American bookstores.
As a fan and practitioner of Chinese children’s literature, I actively participate in cultural export activities every year and contribute to the development and promotion of Chinese children’s literature.
