Politics of Translation
2019.03.19 22:11
In mainland China “1980s” has been regarded as a “golden period” of translation, especially of the translation of literature and social science. For example, more than 5000 Chinese translations of social science were published from 1978 to 1987, it’s about 10 times as many as the past 30 years.
Politics of Translation: A Special Leading Pattern of Translation in 1980s
WANG Xiaoming
(Translated by Eva Hong)
In mainland China “1980s” has been regarded as a “golden period” of translation, especially of the translation of literature and social science. For example, more than 5000 Chinese translations of social science were published from 1978 to 1987, it’s about 10 times as many as the past 30 years.
What more important is that the translation in 1980s acted a very important part in the cultural transition of the society. Beginning at the end of 1970s, more and more Chinese intellects -- also the government -- realized that China had been in a serious trouble already, very far behind the western world, even some Asian countries such as Japan and Singapore. So a great movement, so called “Revolution of Thought” was raised for re-touching, and re-thinking, the reality and re-defining the direction of the development of the society. It’s in the movement that the translations, especially the ones of social science and literature works, which are mostly from the western world, became a very important consultation.
The translation in 1980s has shown many characters. But today, my brief introduction will focuse only on the translation of social science. It‘ll begin with the describing of one of the characters: an new leading pattern of translation which had never existed in the past 30 years.
In the upsurge of the translation some extensive translation plans took great effects as models and guides. These plans resulted a lot of translation book series. It is the plans, including the birth, the operating and the results of the plans, which show clearly the new leading pattern. The most famous ones among the plans are: Aesthetics Translation series, edited generally by Li Zehou, Towards the Future Series, by Jin Guantao and Culture: China and the World Series, by Gan Yang. So, I also select these 3 book series’ as my main examples.
The new leading pattern of translation may be viewed from four aspects. The first, it means the appearance of some new organizers of translation. In the 30 years before 1980s the translation and the correlative publication were strictly controlled by the government: both the originals and the translators were selected by the official publishing houses. Thus a so called “translation circles” was formed which attached itself to the publishing houses and contained two kinds of translators: the full-time ones and the part-time ones who were usually the teachers, of the foreign languages departments of the universities, and researchers, of the institutes for foreign studies.
From the end of 1970s came some people who made translation plans and led the operation of the plans. They were usually humanists, Li was an aesthete, Jin a scholar of thought history and Gan of western philosophy, and didn`t come from the “translation circles”. They were also very young – by that time, almost all the important projects of research, translation and publishing and etc. were directed by the senior scholars who were older than 70 years old. Li was 50 years old in 1980, and his main assistant, Teng Shaoyao, was only a little over 30; both of Jin and Liu Qingfeng, who was another main organizer of the book series, were not reach the age of 40 in 1982, Gan wasn`t reach 30 in 1985, and two vice-editors of the book series, Su Guoxun was a little over 30 and Liu Xiaofeng only 26 years old. So, not coming from the “translation circles”, and being rather young, are the two characteristics of these new organizers.
The second, the leading pattern means some new intentions of translation. In the view of these organizers, the aim of their translation plans was fitting neither to the needs of the government, like many ones did in the past 30 years, nor to the needs of academic development, like some ones doing in 1990s. The significance of the translation was promoting the social changes of culture even politics. Jin said in a private discussion that they wanted to make another “May 4 movement”. So, they thought the translation not as a work of technicality, even not as of academy, but a work of thought, of “enlightenment”, even of social revolution.
The third, the leading pattern means the establishment of a new institution of translation and correlative publication. Having consciousness that they were doing something against the official ideology, the organizers must break the official system of translation and publication, and control the whole course – selecting titles, inviting translators, up to finally correcting proofs. Li Zehou created a new rule of editing and named it “zhu bian fu ze zhi”— ruling by general editor: Li and his assistants managing the titles and translators, and publishers doing proofing and finally correcting. As the publication of Aesthetics Translation Series was divided into 4 parts and undertaken respectively by 4 publishing houses, no publishing house could press heavily its opinions on Li. In my view, it is the pattern – 1 book series versus 4 publishing houses – make it possible for Li and his assistants to carry out the new rule.
As to Jin and Gan, they didn`t satisfied with an new “rule” only, they wanted to go a step further to establish an new “organization”. In 1982 Jin and his fellows established, for Towards the Future Series, an editing organization, which was independent of the official publishers, and named it “she wai bian wei hui”— editing committee out of publishers. It contained 24 members including some young scholars and scientists, and has a executive committee which was in charge of the whole work – from selecting titles to finally correcting proofs. Of course, at that time such an organization, if formed only by some individuals, couldn`t resist the official publishing houses. So, supported by some enlightened officials, Jin and his fellows attached their committee to an official unit – The Institute of Youth Research which belongs to China Academy of Social Science and directed by an enlightened official. The institute had no relation with the “publication circles” but it gave the committee a “legal capacity” with which the committee could start its independent operation. It had an independent bank account, hired some clerks, and made a set of independent 3 — graded rules of reading and examining.
An organization independent of official publishing houses, and a set of independent and complete rules of reading and examining, these two things marked the establishment of an new leading pattern of translation and publication. It is the first time to do such a thing in the publication history since the middle of 1950s. The committee was followed by Gan`s book series, and also by many translation or non-translation book series` in the later of 1980s and the whole 1990s.
Finally, the new pattern also means the expansion of its functions. The organizers didn`t satisfied with translation book series only, they wanted to do more and more. In 1986 Jin and his fellows published an new magazine of critique which had a same title: Towards the Future. In 1987 in Chengdu and 1989 in Beijing Jin`s committee held, jointly with The Chinese University of HK and China Cultural Academy, two international conferences. The committee also tried to establish a publishing house and an independent research center both of which were non-governmental. In 1987 the committee held an exhibition of paintings in Chengdu and also played a very important role in the telefilm Heshang – The River`s over-young death – which was very popular in 1988.
As same as Jin and his fellows, Gan Yang and his editing committee also published an new magazine of critique which also had a title as same as the book series. In 1989 Gan and his fellows held an exhibition of modern painting in Beijing which was the first one of modern painting in China so it caused a sensation. They also made some other plans but failed to put them into practice. In my view, the above-mentioned things the organizers did showed clearly that these organizers were planning to make a total social change of cultural and, lastly, politics. So they thought the translation and publication as only the first step. If they felt necessary to expand the social change, they’ld do the second step and the third step … So, it is natural for these organizers to expand the function of the editing committees, and it is the expansion that shows clearly the politics of the new leading pattern of translation and publication.
What are the effects of such a new leading pattern in the translating which was led by the pattern? The most important ones are:
The first is the selection of what they want to translate. Since the organizers believed that the most important thing they should do first at that time was to introduce the western modern theories into China, the selection of the titles of the three book series` inclined obviously to the western modern thoughts and philosophy, especially the non-Marxist ones. Among the 50 titles of Aesthetics Translation Series only 6 ones are of Marxism and 7 ones from Russia and the eastern Europe. The others are all from the west and 17 ones from United States. Towards the Future Series includes 24 translations among which 12 ones are from United States, and only 3 ones are from non-western world. As to Culture: China and the World Series, The most members of the editing committee began their academic lives as graduated students of western philosophy – some of them were being the students at that time – so they simply named the translation library, which was the main part of the whole series, Modern Western Academic Library.
From the early 1980s to the later 1990s in China the whole introduction of foreign modern theories was so inclined to the west that most intellects lost sight of the thoughts and experiences of the non-western world. In many peoples` eyes “foreign” and “modern” just meant “western”. I think, in a great degree, this erroneous tendency of translation was owing to the three book series`.
The second is the selection of whom they want to invite to do the translation. Owing to the over-young age, and the shortage of the relationship with the “translation circles”, the organizers had to looking for new translators for their book series` among the young persons in the universities and research institutes. The translators working for these three book series are more than 100, the most of them were very young and unknown to the readers. Of course, they didn`t belong to the “translation circles”, for example, there was no professional man of foreign languages among the translators of Towards the Future Series. As a result of these three book series many new translators, who were rather young, not professional so often didn`t have a command of foreign languages, grew quickly and joined the translation work – not only the translation of social science. It changed greatly the basic formation of the “translation circles”.
The third is the selection of how the translators do their work. In the organizers` eyes the most important thing is the speed, not the quality, of translation, is “fast”, not “perfect”. Li Said in the general preface of the translation series: “On the occasion that people urgently needs new translations, it`s better for us to speed up the translation so we can offer some new translations in time than to make a perfect translation with 10 years.” In fact, some translators did their work very quickly, for example, someone fulfilled, together with others, 5 translations with few years. Co-translating by two persons or more than two ones was a main method which was used very often, almost a half of the 50 translations, of Aesthetics Translation Series, were did with such a method. And among the 24 translations of Towards the Future Series only 6 ones were done by single ones. Another method Jin and his fellows encouraged to take was “bian yi”—translating with canceling even rewriting. Among the 6 translations of the first and second parts of Jin`s book series 5 ones were did with the method of “bian yi”. Sometimes Jin and his fellows simply canceled some part of an original edition to fit their publishing plans. For offering more translations to push the social changes forward the organizers would rather try everything to speed up the translation.
The fourth is the selection of whom the translations are offer to. In Li`s eyes the main readers of his book series were not the professionals but the mass of young people, the “lovers” of literature and aesthetics. As to Jin and his fellows, they thought clearly the young people as their most important readers since their book series was in name of “future”. All the designs, for the length of each book -- 120 thousands, the covers – using some abstract paintings of black and white, the size – a special narrow 32 mo and titles – the committee liked to make the titles somewhat of incitement..., were did for fitting to the young readers. Gan and his fellows made, specially for young readers, another translation book library – New Knowledge Library which had smaller size, less length but more sorts of the books than the Western Modern Thoughts Library.
These organizers were very sensitive. They knew deeply what the young people – also their contemporaries – was thirsty for. Their expectation was confirmed by the sales of the books. The sales of the first 20 books of Aesthetics Translation Series was 30000 or 40000 each. And in 1984 the first 1000 sets of the first part of Towards the Future Series were sole within 4 hours! These books were reprinted many times and the impressions were more than 220 thousands on average. As to Gan`s book series, the sales of New Knowledge Library was greatly more than the one of Western Modern Thoughts Library.
I want to stress again that the three book series` occupied a leading position in 1980s. Actually they became greatly attractive models by the vanguardness of the selection of titles and the considerable sales of the books. The most translation activities after then took the form of book series and the most leaders of the activities followed Li, Jin and Gans. So, needless to say, the new leading pattern of translation above mentioned has had a great influence on the whole translation since 1980, especially on the re-forming of the “translation circles”, the breaking and re-forming to the fashions of translation, the forming of a new generation of readers and their reading interests of translation, and the re-forming of the whole publication system of translation.
Because of the wide spread of the translation series`, almost everyone read these books among the persons, of 30-50 years old now, who were concerned about the cultural and political lives of China. So, the translation led by the new pattern also has had a great influence on the transition of the spiritual life of contemporary China. We can saw it clearly behind the many special cultural, academic and political thoughts, and the many special theoretical trends of literature, arts, humanity and social science, and even the changing tendency of the whole writing language.
June 25, 1999 Shanghai
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