Abstract:
Since he was first introduced to Chinese readers in 1856, in a book titled《大英國誌》(The History of England), Shakespeare has gained more and more popularity in the Chinese speaking world, until he becomes a household name. That popularity is achieved thanks to translation and transformation of his works in various forms. In this talk I plan to 1) give an overview of literary translations of his dramatic works; 2) discuss the linguistic difficulties (such as poetic forms, word order, and play titles) faced by the translators; and 3) finally, introduce some recent Chinese opera adaptations.
About the Speaker:
Currently teaching at City University of Hong Kong, Ching-Hsi Perng is a chair professor at Fu Jen Catholic University and Professor Emeritus, National Taiwan University. Among some 40 books to his credit are Chinese translations of two collections of English poetry and seven plays by Shakespeare. He has also co-authored four Chinese xiqu adaptations.