Classic Irish literature "Dubliners" has been translated into Taiwanese language for the first time and will be released in Taiwan. The book launching ceremony, hosted by the director of the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation (TCLCT) James Hadley, was held on Nov. 24 in Dublin, Ireland.
With the support from the Ministry of Culture, Lâu Îng-sîng (劉盈成), the translator of the book and associate professor of the Department of Chinese Literature at the National Tsing Hua University, was invited to the ceremony to share his experiences in translating the book in person. He explained that the translation of literary works is not simply translating texts into different languages. The Taiwanese language has some loan words from Mandarin and he has to avoid using such words while exploring the use of the eight tones of the Taiwanese language to illustrate some of the melodic and rhythmic parts in "Dubliners."
At the ceremony, Lâu recited three translated paragraphs in Taiwanese, allowing the audience to listen and contrast the differences in terms of language use and culture. Director Hadley stated that the Taiwanese-translated "Dubliners" not only holds an important position in the globalization of modern Irish literature, but also helps Irish people to learn about the culture of Taiwan. He revealed that the recording of Liu's recitation of excerpts from the Taiwanese version of "Dubliners" will be included in TCLCT's collection.
According to Representative to Ireland Yang Tzu-pao (楊子葆), during Lâu's visit to Ireland, he also met with director Darina Gallagher of the James Joyce Centre and director Simon O'Connor of the Museum of Literature Ireland. With support from the Overseas Community Affairs Council, Lâu will also partake in an event to meet overseas Taiwanese.
Produced by Irish literary giant James Joyce (1882-1941), "Dubliners" was first published in 1914. It is a short story collection, describing the life of the middle class in Dunlin, the largest city in the early 20th century in Ireland.