SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Overview

Department of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia

PhD Student

Name:

Mr Alastair Ewan Macdonald

Email address:

548934@soas.ac.uk

Internal Supervisors

• Tian Yuan Tan 陳靝沅

Biography

I was born and grew up near Inverness, and have spent the years since floating more or less southwards. The first stop on this geographically downward trajectory was Edinburgh University, where I spent my time in a state of terminal confusion over whether I was studying Japanese or Chinese. Four years and two stints of studying abroad (two months in Taipei's MTC and one year at Doshisha University in Kyoto) later, I graduated in Japanese and therefore decided to go straight back to Taiwan.  This time I stayed for a full year, thanks to a BACS/MOE scholarship, and it was here that I my interest in late-Imperial vernacular literature was inspired through semesters spent studying Honglou Meng and Jinpingmei. On my return I moved south again, irresistibly drawn to the bright lights of Huddersfield, where I worked as a freelance translator. Most of my time was spent translating entries in a new Chinese-English dictionary to be published by HarperCollins, though I was also lucky enough to gain unique insights into the fascinating world of Chinese software manuals.  All that unremitting glamour and excitement did eventually wear thin, however, and I then came to SOAS to pursue an MA in Translation Studies.  My interest in vernacular literature had deepened since coming back from Taiwan, and my final MA project was a translation of one of Ling Mengchu's short stories.  This translation project led directly onto my current research topic.