Midway Check In: The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories
let your loving river flow
Ooh, you're the sunshine in my life
Ooh, how you come on shining bright, you got me
Ooh, feeling's gonna grow and grow
Ooh, let your loving river flow, you got me, you got all of me
Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair
And I'm hung up on you
Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair
And we've got something new
Spring Affair, Donna Summer
Schedule
These are the dates the discussion posts will go up, but remember you can go at your own pace and contribute when you’re ready!
Kick-off: April 7, 2023✔Midway Check In: April 14, 2023✔Final Discussion: April 28, 2023 at 5:00PM PST 🌸
You can RSVP for the Digital Hang here - This means you get an email with the link to join on the day of and gives me a good idea of how many folks to expect!
If you can’t make it to the digital hang, you can always use the comment section to leave your thoughts, reviews, and reflections at any time.
Traduttore, Traditore
When I first looked at the table of contents from The Way Spring Arrives, I only recognized one name: R. F. Kuang. I’ve read Kuang’s Poppy War series and I’ll be reading her most recent and polemic novel, Babel this summer.
Translation is at the heart of Babel and Kuang has talked at length about how it is a powerful political tool. In an interview with Pop Matters Kuang talks about how she used this to create her world:
I’ve learned so much about translation as a tool of power. The fact that translation is never neutral, but it’s always biased and always ideologically motivated, means that a magic system that takes advantage of the fact that translation can never be perfect, made perfect sense for this novel.
Since I’m a translator myself – I’m constantly working back and forth, primarily between English and Chinese, and I’m also studying other languages – I’m always noting small distinctions in how certain cognitive tasks are defined and how different grammar structures lead us to think differently. I’m always thinking about what’s lost in translation between one language to another.
I have read through some of the essays and translator’s notes in The Way Spring Arrives and find that most if not all of the translators share this sentiment: an act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
Drawing from conversations with friends who have translated languages both formally and informally, as well as my own life experience as a bilingual educator, it’s very much a part of navigating language and meaning.
You can read the rest of Kuang’s interview here and check out her lecture: Goodness, Beauty, and Truth: The Value of Art in Times of Crisis, which is personally just one of my favorites from the The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. “Kuang delivered the Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. It was wonderful to gather again at Pembroke and to benefit from Rebecca’s insights about mimesis, representation, and the comforts of literature.”
Welcome to the Midway Check In 📖 The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories
These are simply questions to get you thinking. You’re not required to answer any of them to participate. Remember to keep comments and replies respectful and hate-free!
Your Reading So Far
How is your reading going?
Are you reading in order or jumping around?
Are you focusing on the fiction or nonfiction?
Have you been able to write down any thoughts, journal, draw, etc. as you read?
Thoughts and Feelings
Are there any stories/essays you already know will be your favorites?
Have any of the stories/essays given you a new perspective on Chinese literature, fantasy, and/or the craft of translating from one language to another?
How do you think you’ll feel once you are done reading?
Bonus Round **Could Translate That For Me?**
Have you ever had to translate for someone at work, in your personal life, during travel, etc? Or vice versa: did you need help with a different language?
How was that experience?
What are your thoughts on translation as a betrayal? Do you think that’s true or are translators just being very dramatic? (Jkjk… but also 👁️👁️)
Anything else you want to add? Make sure to leave a comment!
