Translating Chinese Literature: Cross-Cultural Communication

Chinese literary works have become an important window for foreigners to understand Chinese culture. In bridging the gap, translators, as messengers of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, play an important role. A senior translator and interpreter, Huang Youyi has witnessed and experienced extraordinary changes in China’s translation industry over the past four decades and continues to serve as a leading figure in this profession. In an interview with China Pictorial on April 15, Huang, Executive Vice President of the Translators Association of China and former Vice President of the International Federation of Translators, shared his observations of the changes and developments in the field of Chinese literature translation. Edited excerpts of the conversation follow:

China Pictorial: What changes have you witnessed in the industry over the past four decades?

The translation industry has undergone extraordinary changes in terms of participants, related technology, as well as