The Translator and the Translated

Hong Kong - Nov 5, 2014

featuring Hon Lai Chu, Lucas Klein, Christopher Mattison, Doug Robinson, Dorothy Tse, and Liu Waitong. View photos here.

Summary

On a warm November evening, more than 80 people gathered in the historic Convocation Room at the University of Hong Kong. The occasion: Asymptote’s sold-out début in Hong Kong at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. Co-presented with the local journal Fleurs des Lettres, the event kicked off with a series of bilingual readings from the award-winning writers Dorothy Tse and Hon Lai Chu and poet Liu Waitong. The three read their work in their native Cantonese while Asymptote Assistant Managing Editor and event emcee Lynette Lee and Fleurs des Lettres Editor Louise Law read the works in English. Immediately following the readings, celebrated Asymptote contributors Lucas Klein (writer, editor, and translator), Christopher Mattison (writer and translator), and Douglas Robinson (writer, translator, and scholar) joined the authors on stage in a spirited conversation on the process and challenges of translation from both the author and the translator’s perspective. The discussion and ensuing Q&A, which referenced Hong Kong’s literary significance, spilled into the later hours and the necessary end of the event was met with grateful and resounding applause.