Bridging Chinese and French through translation

For French scholar Alexis Lavis, who teaches at a Chinese university, some words in Chinese and French simply cannot be translated into each other with complete accuracy.

Take the French word doucereux, he says. It can be translated literally into Chinese as "too sweet", but that fails to capture its more negative connotation: something sweet in an unpleasant, even insincere, way.

Chinese has words with similarly nuanced meanings, Lavis says. One manmanzou describes the leisurely walk people take after a meal, while another bukaopu suggests that someone is not entirely trustworthy.

"Of course, French also has ways of saying that someone is untrustworthy," he says. "But the Chinese word is more like a bullet."

Lavis made the remarks on Tuesday as a jury member announcing the shortlist for the 18th Fu Lei Translation and Publishing Award, which features 10 works, with five titles each in the literature and social sciences categories.

Established in 2009, the award recognizes outstanding Chinese translations of French-language books and aims to promote French literature and scholarship in China. Each year, it selects one winner in each of the two categories.

To encourage a new generation of translators, the award introduced a Newcomer Award in 2013. Young translators are playing an increasingly prominent role in the competition. This year, 60 translators entered the awards, including 26 born in the 1990s, accounting for nearly half of the total.

"Younger translators tend to be bolder in their approach to translation," says Dong Qiang, chairman of the Fu Lei Translation and Publishing Award organizing committee. Dong recalls that when he was young, many people believed translators had to be gray-haired. Having participated in the award since its inaugural edition, he says he has finally reached the age at which he can be considered an established figure in the field.

Despite the differences between China and France, the two cultures can find common ground through film, music and literature, Dong adds, describing the Fu Lei Award as one example of cultural exchange between the two countries.

Florent Aydalot, minister-counselor for cultural, educational and scientific affairs at the French embassy in Beijing, also highlights the shared appreciation of literature in China and France.

"China and France are both countries that love literature. We have great respect and affection for our writers, our books and our translators. I think one thing we share is the blending of languages," he says.

The winners of the 18th Fu Lei Translation and Publishing Award will be announced at a ceremony on Nov 21 at the World Literature Hall in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.