Details

Date: 24 November

Time: 2PM

Venue: X-Bar (Light refreshments will be provided)

Translating China Research Group Seminar Series

Abstract:

Jin Yong’s Return of the Condor Heroes is commonly considered the most romantic story written by the wuxia master. Its characterisation of an ice maiden and a streetwise youth, its trope of the controversial love between an elder woman and a younger man, and its premise of a relationship beset by trials and separations, have influenced generations of writers and inspired dozens of screen adaptations. In this presentation, the translator shares some of the challenges and opportunities in bringing a story into a new language more than 60 years after it was first written, in the face of changing attitude towards romantic love and its depiction, and discusses how the popular imagination of the story affects the translation process.

Bio:

Gigi Chang translates from Chinese to English. Her translations include Jin Yong’s wuxia martial arts series Legends of the Condor Heroes and Return of the Condor Heroes for MacLehose Press, classical Chinese dramas for the Royal Shakespeare Company and contemporary Chinese plays for the Royal Court Theatre.