Positioning 'Taiwanese Literature' to the World: Taiwan as Represented and Perceived in English Translation

Abstract

This chapter considers translation as a means of cultural exchange and a way through which the varied concepts of ‘Taiwan literature’ are negotiated for the targeted global English readers of Taiwan’s literary works. Through examining some representative English anthologies of Taiwanese literature, the chapter first points out the different strategies of bringing Taiwanese literature to the world. It then uses Li Qiao’s classic romans-fleuve Wintry Night Trilogy (1979, 1980, 1981), which details a Hakka family’s hardship and relocation to Taiwan, and Wu Ming-yi’s well-acclaimed The Man with the Compound Eyes (2013), which exhibits a symbiosis of global environmental issues and Taiwan’s indigeneity, as case studies to illustrate how Taiwanese authors’ depiction of local particularities, or their Taiwanese identity, is either diluted or partially maintained in the English rendering. It posits that although Taiwan-specific details may reduce the readability of the English translation, they are not incompatible with global readers’ interests and tastes. This, however, does not guarantee they can be fully appreciated by their targeted audience.