TRANSLATORS

Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies | Year 3 | Brazil
 

I was assigned the task of translating the three comic stories into Brazilian Portuguese. Stories from Hong Kong hardly reach audiences from Brazil due to language barriers. In my own opinion, I think it is very important to translate the book “Untold Stories of Hong Kong” into other languages apart from Cantonese/Mandarin Chinese, considering that issues related to refugees, sexual education, and the search for identity are not exclusive to Hong Kong. I hope that my translation can be read by Portuguese speakers around the world, thus, the voices of Aimé, Justin, and Slavica can be amplified.

 

Through the process of translation, I encountered challenges in conveying the meaning precisely in view of the different backgrounds of each interviewee and the way the narratives are structured and written. Therefore, I had to concentrate on my target readers and make the translations sound as natural as possible to them. As a result, I trust, they are able to understand the messages behind the comic stories. By the end of the project, I realized how much I had learned about the minorities who live in the same city as I do.

Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies | Year 3 | China

​

I translated the refugee Aimé and the sex educator Justin’s stories into Mandarin and polished it with my group mates and editors. These two comics revolve around the plight of refugees in Hong Kong and the work of sex educators. By translating these comics, I hope to shed light on the challenges faced by refugees in Hong Kong, including their legal status and everyday struggles and highlight the crucial role of sex educators in providing essential information and support to individuals.

I hope this translation serves as a bridge between different cultures, fostering empathy and understanding and readers can engage with the comic and reflect upon the themes presented. Your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated.

English Language and Literature | Year 3 | Hong Kong

​

I focused on the translation works for the Cantonese version of Aimé and Justin’s stories. 

 

Although both Cantonese and Mandarin are categorized as Chinese, our group still translated the comics from the book “Untold Stories of Hong Kong” into Cantonese apart from Mandarin. I believe that Cantonese will bring the authors’ tone and the characters’ narratives closer to readers with Cantonese as their mother tongues. 

 

That’s quite challenging in delivering the tone of the narrators precisely in Cantonese, especially for some modal particles. Hence, I keep focusing on the similar word choices for spoken words. Worth to discover more about Cantonese and English via this project!

Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies | Year 3 | Hong Kong

​

I was in charge of translating the story about Slavica, who has complex ‘roots’, into Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. 

As Slavica has lived in Shanghai before and is now staying in Hong Kong, we hope that audiences from two cultures can both resonate with the story.
 

The most intriguing part of this story is the use of different flowers to represent and connect with the four cities that Slavica lived in. There are lots of novel metaphors used in this part, particularly those that provoked many discussions, for example the interpretation of ‘a blade of grass in a forest of wind’, in our team about possible translation decisions. We are more than delighted to make some contribution in promoting the stories of minority individuals.

Chinese Studies | Year 3 (Exchange Student) | Czech Republic

​

I was in charge of translating the three comic stories into Czech. Even though Czech can be considered a peripheral language within the global circulation of literature, I believe it is important to translate these stories into another European language (of the Slavic group of languages, which is not as popular for translation as others might be) to carry their message further. I’m happy that I can be part of this important project and that I’m able to share the impressive stories with people from my country.

 I wanted to keep as much of the authors’ essence as possible, which has proven to be quite challenging as each of the authors have different approaches to telling their stories. I struggled with metaphors the most, as the ones used in the comics, such as “a blade of grass in a forest of wind,”  might not resonate with a Czech reader on the desired level, I had to search for similar ones that still carried the original meaning and corresponded with the Czech language.

English Language Teaching | Year 4 | Hong Kong

​

Building both the illustrators’ profile and the interviewees’ profile is vital for you to understand the stories. I believe it is important for all illustrators to receive the same level of exposure, and to receive the same level of attention similar to the persons of interest because both the story and the storytellers are important in co-constructing the worldview portrayed in the comic.

 

English to Cantonese/Mandarin Chinese translation could be difficult at times as some phrases and vocabulary are heavily context-dependent. Discussing different possible interpretations and ways to translate such interpretations with my colleagues has been a truly inspiring experience. I would like to encourage everyone to take their time and ‘dwell’ on the stories, thinking about what each word means for each of them carries a significant meaning that cannot be replaced by another word.