2022 will end in about 26 hours. Looking back, we saw so many things happening this year, and our small newsletter also saw 22 updates (23 if this one is included, but there was one post for suspension notice).
Most of the things that got written down were different from what I expected at the beginning of this writing project, but I was still happy with the pieces I produced. Hopefully some pieces were interesting; anyway, if not, at least all the birds I watched were. In the past few months, I failed to update regularly due to various reasons (mainly due to the much delayed translation project), and I hope things will turn better next spring.
This year was also very different from what I expected, but no matter what, we survived yet another year, and let’s give ourselves a hug.
Here is a warm little poem to accompany you in the New Year’s Eve, along with a review of some posts this year. Thank you for your reading, support, sponsorship and contributions over the past year. See you in 2023 : )
《翻譯鳥事一籮筐》是中英文雙語電子報。如果只想收到中文版,請到網站右上角的「My Account」內進行操作。有任何問題都歡迎來信聯絡,請直接回覆這封 E-mail 或寫信到 transcreation@substack.com。再次感謝你的訂閱支持!
這篇文章的中文版在這裡。
Those Lightning Strikes Are Directed Toward You (那些閃電指向你) by Lin Wanyu (林婉瑜) is one of the only two poetry collections on my shelf. I first learned about this poet on the recommendation of a friend, and later bought this collection of poems whose cover was really adorable. The poems in it are very warm, very cute, and easily understandable. Here is a little poem, “You Are that Thing of Happiness” (你就是那件快樂的事) by Lin Wanyu. My attempted literal translation is provided below.
你就是那件快樂的事
總有這樣的日子
一早醒來
感覺烏雲層層逼近
這樣的日子
必須想想快樂的事
想一想你
想一想你吧
你就是那件快樂的事
You Are that Thing of Happiness
There are always days when
We wake up in the morning
And feel the clouds are looming.
In such days,
We have to think about some things of happiness.Think about you,
Let’s think about you.
You are that thing of happiness.
I hope that in this cold, sad yet sweet season, this poem can accompany everyone in the New Year’s Eve quietly.
Here is a review of some posts this year.
Taiwanese History:
“From Snail to Stone” tells the story of Water of Immortality by Huang Tu-shui. This sculpture, after being exhibited in the Museum of National Taipei University of Education and the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, has officially joined the collection of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. We can now visit “Sis” in Taichung!
“Revisiting 19th-Century Taiwan” and “Traveling to 19th-Century Southern Taiwan with Charles Le Gendre” introduce Charles Le Gendre (one of the protagonists of the TV drama SEQALU: Formosa 1867), who is the research object of my master’s thesis. These pieces are adapted from my master’s thesis, published as Travel for Knowledge: Knowledge about Taiwan Constructed by Charles Le Gendre, James Davidson and Other Westerners (1860-1905). Happy to learn that a few more copies have been sold this year.
Good Books:
“My Big Sister, Amiq,” from Apyang Imiq’s Growing up in a Tree Hollow, talks about the loss and pursuit of the mother tongue. Thanks the author Apyang Imiq and Chkuko Publishing Co., Ltd. who generously authorized us to publish the original text here, and thanks brenda for sharing her English translation with us.
“Journey into Modern Taiwanese Literature (1): Overview” summarizes the first few chapters of Chen Fang-ming’s A History of Modern Taiwanese Literature; partly relevant is an introduction to “Taiwan Literature Base.” In addition, our book club member Laura Wang is now a writer in residence at the Taiwan Literature Base!
“Into the Mountains, for a Different Scenery” talks about Kuo Yen-Jen’s Into the Mountains of Bununs and other nature writing from Taiwan.
“Hao Hsu’s A Beginner’s Guide to Game Translation” talks about game translation in a fun way. It’s a good way to spend the vacation by enjoying video games and learning more about game translation from this book.
“What Is Art? And What Is Friendship?” talks about Yasmina Reza’s Art produced by the Godot Theatre Company and Alexander Nehamas’s On Friendship — whose Chinese translation is my very first book translation.
“Pirates and Publishers,” a masterpiece by Professor Wang Fei-Hsien, unravels the history of copyright in China in a both informative and interesting way. Its Chinese translation won the 2022 Openbook Good Book Award (translation book genre)! It is an honor to be its translator.
Travel and Birding:
“Travel, Travail? a Trip to Kaohsiung” talks about the Ke Qi-Hua House, the Kaohsiung Museum of History, and Weiwuying.
“Summer in Taipei: Ocean and Kayaking” shares my experience as an inexperienced Lv. -3 beginner. It’s my pleasure to be entertaining to you.
“Summer in Taipei: Lotuses and Birds,” “Some Birding Events” and “Birds and Hot Springs in Yilan” are, of course, all the birding stuff: bird photos and birding information.
Last but not least, my responses to current affairs: “We will write, and we will fight” written shortly after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and “‘Rather Burn Out, Than Rust Out’” written after the mass shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Southern California. Times are hard, and hopefully things will get better in 2023.