Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Literary Translation - Gigi Chang

Abstract

Martial arts fiction, or wuxia 武侠, is a popular genre in Chinese literature with roots tracing back almost two thousand years.

One of the most influential exponents, Jin Yong 金庸 (1924–2018), published fifteen such swashbuckling tales, in serialised form, between the 1950s and 1970s.

These stories have since been adapted more than a hundred times, for screens big and small. They have also found new life in comics and games, forming a collective memory for Chinese speakers around the world, inspiring generations of Chinese creatives.

Jin Yong’s novels were first translated into different Asian languages as early as the 1960s. But it was not until the 1990s that his stories began to appear in English.

With the publication of his most frequently reimagined title in 2018, Legends of the Condor Heroes 射雕英雄传, coinciding with an increased visibility for Chinese dramas on streaming services, wuxia has, at long last, engaged readers beyond Asia, in their own languages.

This seminar, given by one of the English translators of Jin Yong’s works, will share the joy and tension of bringing Legends of the Condor Heroes to English, touching on the strategies, choices and decisions made, revealing the realities of practising literary translation.

About the speaker

Gigi Chang translates from Chinese into English.

Her fiction translations include Jin Yong’s martial arts series Legends of the Condor Heroes – 'Volume II: A Bond Undone'; 'Volume III: A Snake Lies Waiting', co-translated with Anna Holmwood; and 'Volume IV: A Heart Divided', co-translated with Shelly Bryant (MacLehose Press/St Martin’s Griffin, 2019–2021).

Her theatre translations include classical Chinese dramas for the Royal Shakespeare Company and contemporary Chinese plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hong Kong Arts Festival and Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre.

She also co-hosts a regular programme on plays and playwrights for the Chinese-language podcast Culture Potato.​

About the seminar series

Each semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their work in translation.

Our seminar series is run collaboratively by staff and postgraduate students, enabling our early career researchers to build networks and experience. This year, the students are Wang Hanyu and Aaliyah Charbenny.

Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome.

Are you interested in Translation Studies at Edinburgh?

Providing excellent teaching and supervision, our postgraduate MSc and PhD programmes are among the UK's most comprehensive and flexible. Our expertise covers a wide range of research areas and many languages, of which you can choose to work with two.

Find out more about postgraduate programmes in Translation Studies