The Story of the Stone’s Journey to the West: A Translation History 《紅樓夢》西遊記：一段翻譯史

This talk traces the fascinating history of early English translations of the renowned Chinese novel, The Story of the Stone (石頭記), also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢), in the nineteenth century. It tells lesser-known stories of Western missionaries and diplomats in China as pioneer translators diligently rendering this Chinese literary masterpiece into the English language. Interestingly, these English translations do not always prioritize the literary merits of the Chinese novel; rather, they were made with other, more pragmatic purposes and approaches. This captivating chapter in the history of translation unveils the multifaceted dimensions of The Story of the Stone appreciated and exploited, the intricate nature of literary translation in history, and a cultural perspective to the grand narrative of China’s encounter with the West.

Speaker: Professor JI Lingjie (Assistant Professor, Department of Translation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Date: 15 November 2023 (Wed)

Time: 4:00 to 5:30 pm

Venue: Digital Scholarship Lab, G/F, University Library, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Registration: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13677065

Previous talks:

1.The David Hawkes Archive at CUHK library

Professor John Minford, David Hawkes’ Literary Executor, who donated the bulk of his father-in-law’s papers to the library in 2011-2012, will describe some of the main items in the Archive, and their unique history.

Speaker: Professor John Minford (Emeritus Professor of Chinese, Australian National University)

Date:  6 October 2023 (Friday)

Time: 4:30 to 5:15 pm

Venue: User Education Room, G/F, University Library, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Registration: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13673945

2.David Hawkes: The Art of Translation

Professor John Minford will discuss some aspects of David Hawkes’ approach to translation, drawing mainly on examples from the first 80 chapters of The Story of the Stone (1973-1980), his masterly translation of the novel.

Speaker: Professor John Minford (Emeritus Professor of Chinese, Australian National University)

Date:  9 October 2023 (Monday)

Time: 6:30 to 7:30 pm

Venue: WLB109, Shaw Campus, Hong Kong Baptist University

Language: English

Organizers: Department of Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library, and Hong Kong Translation Society

Registration: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13673948