The Global Taiwan—Literature and Translation Workshop
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
11:00 am to 4:30 pm
- Venue
- TBC
- Event type
- Seminar
About this event
The Centre of Taiwan Studies is delighted to organise The Global Taiwan—Literature and Translation Workshop, bringing together writers, translators, and scholars to explore how Taiwanese literature travels across languages, cultures, and borders.
Celebrating two newly translated works—A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader and Portraits in White, published by Columbia University Press and supported by Nation Museum of Taiwan Literature, the workshop highlights how translation opens new pathways for Taiwanese voices to enter the global anglophone literary landscape.
Through acts of writing and translation alike, these works reimagine Taiwan as more than a geographical island—as a dynamic crossroads where land and sea, memory and imagination, human and ecological worlds intersect. Together, they reveal how Taiwan’s literature continues to evolve through dialogue, interpretation, and re-creation in other languages.
Bringing together authors, translators, and readers, Global Taiwan celebrates translation as both bridge and transformation—an essential force that allows Taiwanese literature to speak to the world.
Registration
The event is free to attend, but registration is required.
Schedule
| Time | Session | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 11:00am–12:30pm | Book Launch: A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader This session introduces A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader, an anthology tracing Taiwan’s relationship with nature through Indigenous storytelling, ecological science fiction, and speculative writing. Dr Ian Rowen and Dr Ti-Han Chang will discuss how these works capture Taiwan’s environmental imagination, bridging ecological thought and literary creativity. | TBC |
| 2:00pm–3:30pm | Behind the Translation: Bringing Taiwanese Literature and Scholarship Across Languages Professional translators Aoife Cantrill and Kiera Johnson share their experiences translating Taiwanese literary and scholarly works for international audiences. Their conversation offers a candid look into the art and challenge of translation — from navigating cultural nuance to finding rhythm and resonance across languages. | TBC |
| 3:45pm–4:30pm | Portraits in White: Generational Memory, Empathy and the Lives of Stories in Translation Award-winning author Kaori Lai Hsiang-Yin reflects on her novel Portraits in White and its exploration of generational memory and empathy. She will discuss how translation allows stories to take on new life across linguistic and cultural contexts, connecting readers through shared emotion and understanding. | TBC |
(Image credit: Arstin Chen via Unsplash)
