Scholars gathered in Park Hall Friday afternoon to discuss the challenges of translating Chinese poetry as part of the Asia at Noon brown-bag lecture series.
The lecture, entitled "For the sound of it: Experimental Translations in Song Dynasty Lyric Verse," was given by Jonathan Stalling, a graduate student in English.
The scholars debated the role that aesthetics and tonal integrity - that is, a sound pattern consistent with the original poetry - should play in translating ancient Chinese poetry.
Stalling, who has studied Chinese since he was 14 years old, argued that tonal integrity should prevail throughout the translation.
"Different horizons cannot transverse," he said. "I toss (a translation) when I can't say the same thing semantically and the writer cannot be mimicked exactly. Meter and rhyme have to be exact, especially the ending verse."
Though Stalling's translations, which he began in 1997, are in English, they do not adhere completely to English grammar, Stalling said. Instead, they form a style he calls "Chinglish."
Chinglish is particularly suited for tonal languages, such as Chinese, Stalling said.
"Poetic cadence is important to versification," Stalling said. "Nuance and meaning of the poem should not be sacrificed (in translation)."
Approaches such as Chinglish are necessary for translations to have a similar essence in English as they did in Chinese, said Jeongsub Nam, a doctoral student in English.
Nam noted that many non-native English speakers have made many dialects out of traditional English that are similar to Chinglish.
"English is not only used by Americans but foreigners (who in turn) put their native accents to English. By applying different patterns to English it can make it more global," said Nam.
Translation of ancient poetry can present a paradox, said Herbert Batt, an independent scholar who translates Chinese poetry. He referred to an Italian proverb to illustrate that point, which elicited laughs from the audience.
"Translation is like a wife," Batt said. "A faithful one is not beautiful and a beautiful one is not faithful."
Stalling responded to Batt's analogy by placing it in a different context.
"This 'wife' is enchanting, beautiful and faithful," Stalling said, "yet on a scale unfamiliar."
The practice of translating ancient verses is relevant in today's society as the world becomes globalized, Stalling argued.
"It is good for people to leave the comfort of received conventions to lean out towards other cultures, histories, perspectives and aesthetics so that one can actually become comfortable with our everyday encounters with difference," he said.
What sets Stalling apart from other scholars who attempt to translate Chinese poetry is that he can convey more than just semantics to readers of English translations of ancient poetry, said Tom W. Buckman, the director of the Asian Studies Program.
"Chinese Poetry is a rich tradition not everyone can cover," Buckman said. "Stalling is a lucky find. Many fail to convey the linguistic and spiritual aesthetics that the writer feels. Jonathan transmits that."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
