In considering Mo Yan’s award of the Nobel Prize for Literature and the popularity of Mai Jia’s novels overseas, the contribution of foreign translators cannot be ignored. Their excellent language capabilities and unique perspective tailored for western readers have helped introduce Chinese literature to the world.

To ensure greater success for the “campaign to take Chinese Literature global”, Bruce Humes, an American translator of Chinese fiction and books about traditional Chinese culture, has suggested the establishment of a “Translator-in-Residence” fund, to actively recruit translators to reside in China and get to know Chinese writers, translators and publishers, and to target a variety of nationalities and languages, rather than focusing exclusively - as is often the case in China - on European languages.

Translator-in-Residence

Bruce Humes left his home town in America 30 years ago. He has spent most of that time living in China, which he now describes as his second home. Chinese writer Chi Zijian’s The Last Quarter of Moon, translated by Bruce Humes, was praised as “a fitting tribute to the Evenki by a writer of rare talent”. Recently, Bruce has been focusing on the literature of ethnic minority groups. He went to Turkey to study the language last summer, as a preparation for his future research on Chinese-Turkic translation.

According to Humes, translators of literature are treated as professional writers in the West. Many translators request a credit as the co-author when their translation works hit Amazon’s book shelves online. The Chinese attitude toward foreign translators changed subtly after October in 2012. Howard Goldblatt’s translation of Mo Yan’s works helped him win the Nobel Prize. Many have realized that close cooperation with foreign translators, brokers and publishers can be a wise choice.

Humes says that the European Union and the United States’ program of “Translator-in-residence” offers accommodation, air tickets and allowances to foreign translators.