Author and translator Elizabeth Bryer shares her thoughts on the collaborative magic of translating literature.
21 Oct 2019
Jinghua Qian
Writing and Publishing
Author and literary translator Elizabeth Bryer. Photo: Percy Cáceres.
The world of Anglophone literature is quite insular – testament to the geopolitical dominance of the English language.
Globally only 3 percent of works published in English are translations from other languages, according to Elizabeth Bryer, a literary translator who works from Spanish to English.
‘Thanks to English’s history of imperialism and today’s globalisation, while plentyof English-language works get translated into other languages, not enough are translated into English – and those leading the way are the smaller, independent publishers,’ Bryer tells ArtsHub.
Jinghua Qian (they/them) is a Shanghainese writer, poet and provocateur living in the Kulin nations. Their work has appeared on stages, pages and airwaves including Melbourne Writers’ Festival, SBS, Popula, Overland and The Guardian. Formerly the Head of News at Sixth Tone, an English-language media outlet based in Shanghai, and a broadcaster with 3CR Community Radio’s Queering the Air, Jinghua currently serves on the board of Asian-Australian arts and culture magazine, Peril.
Twitter: @qianjinghua
LinkedIn: qianjinghua
