Bridging the Sino-Gaelic gap

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In association with organizers of the Shanghai Book Fair, the Consulate General of Ireland in Shanghai bestowed its inaugural Chinese Irish Literature Translation Prize Thursday to Ma Ainong for her work translating Claire Keegan's 2007 short story collection Walk the Blue Fields.The award, which was presented to Ma at a ceremony at Sinan Mansions, is meant to recognize an outstanding translation of an Irish literary work from recent years. Looking ahead, organizers hope the award will be given on an annual basis as a way to raise the profile of Irish literature among Chinese readers.Ma's Chinese-language translation of Walk the Blue Fields was first published by People's Literature Publishing House in Beijing in 2011. The seven stories collected in the volume center around the timeless world of the Irish countryside, a world centering on local gossip and the cycles of pastoral life. The second story, which shares its name with the collection, portrays a priest who hosts the wedding of a young woman with whom he had a romantic affair. Feeling sick of spirit, the priest visits a Chinese "medicine man" who lives in a small caravan kept in the yard of a local farmer.Sheng Yun, one of the prize's judges, explained to the Global Times that, "Claire Keegan's stories are usually set against a provincial religious backdrop. The work demands an understanding of the mindset of the characters and the routines of their rural lives. And Keegan's sentences tend to be short and dense, which builds a sense of tension for the readers."According to Sheng, it was Ma's three-week visit to Dublin, where she met Keegan in person during the course of translating her stories, which gave her an edge. "Her translation delivered the exact rhythm of the original text, with the same elegance. Reading Ma's work is a treat, just like reading Claire Keegan," explained Sheng.For Ma - who has already translated some 40 English-language books into Chinese, including classics like Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse and L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables - the experience of translating Keegan's work was filled with personal rewards as well. While accepting her prize Ma said, "having been involved in translation for more than 20 years, the translation of Walk the Blue Fields is my favorite." Ma also recalled her visit to Dublin, a place which she felt could be her second home. And the local people, she remarked, greeted her like old friends whom she hadn't seen in years."I had a long talk with Keegan to develop a deeper connection with the Irish rural culture she described in the book. I also went to rural areas of Dublin to talk to local people, experience their lives and try to listen to their daily conversations," she said."I was so pleased and surprised to find that there is much common ground between Irish rural people and their Chinese counterparts," Ma added, "both are assiduous and diligent, leading peaceful lives."The Consul General of Ireland, Austin Gormley, who was on hand at last week's ceremony to present Ma with her award, also observed that since early times the literatures of Ireland and China have emphasized many similar themes and emotions. These include sentimental attachment to homeland, tradition and spiritual heritage and also the pursuit of a strong sense of native cultural identity."The prize recognizes Ma's excellent translation to bring a unique work by one of Ireland's foremost contemporary writers to Chinese readers," Gormley said. "The literary exchange ... between these two countries is also time-honored. The great Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) never visited China when he was alive, but one of his famous poems in 1936, Lapis Lazuli referred to a piece of carving work on a beautiful blue opaque gemstone from China. It was one of Yeats' birthday presents on his 70th birthday." According to Gormley, from Xiao Qian (1910-1999), who translated James Joyce's Ulysses in 1994, to Dai Congrong, the first Chinese person ever to translate part of Joyce's Finnegans Wake into Chinese in 2012 (the novel is made up of four books, of which Dai has translated the first), local translators have consistently furthered the spread of Irish literature in their home country.Along with a 17,000 yuan ($2,766.09) cash bonus, Ma has also been awarded a bursary to travel to Ireland for one month to work on the translation of another contemporary piece of Irish fiction. Gormley said that he hopes the Chinese Irish Literature Translation Prize can lead to more translations of Irish literary works and provide much-deserved recognition to the work of translators and publishers in China. Austin Gormley, the Consul General of Ireland in Shanghai, presents the Chinese Irish Literature Translation Prize Thursday to Ma Ainong. Photos: Courtesy of the consulate Book cover of the Chinese translation of Walk the Blue Fields Photo: Hu Bei/GT Tags: Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping China, Plastic Tooling, Plastic Tooling China, Rapid Prototype, Rapid Prototype China, Rapid Tooling, Rapid Tooling China, CNC Prototype, CNC Prototype China, Functional Prototype, Functional Prototype China, Metal Prototype, Metal Prototype China, Plastic Prototype, Plastic Prototype China, Rapid Manufacturing, Rapid Manufacturing China, Low volume production, Stereolithography, Stereolithography China, Vacuum Casting, Vacuum Casting China, whatsapp marketing, wechat marketing, seo, e marketing, �W��OӋ�ṩseo, e marketing, web design by zoapcon