The inclusion of the translation industry in the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement could allow China to dominate Taiwan’s linguistic development and pave the way for its cultural assimilation, Taiwan Democracy Watch secretary-general Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) said yesterday.
Chen issued the warning following the conclusion of the Ninth Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum on Oct. 27, during which representatives from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party called for the pact’s speedy passage and implementation.
The agreement, which, if ratified, will see Taiwan open up 64 service sectors to China, is still pending legislative approval, as lawmakers are under pressure from industry representatives who are wary of its potentially adverse impact on businesses and the nation’s economy.
“Translation is a culture-oriented job, because it is closely linked to the translators’ cultural background, national identity and linguistic habits,” Chen said.
“China is notorious for its stringent censorship of the cultural industry, and Taiwan’s vibrant cultural development could be severely hindered if the government opens the door to Chinese translators,” Chen said.
Chen cited as an example the Chinese translation of Irish political scientist Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism by Academia Sinica associate research fellow Wu Rwei-ren (吳叡人).
“The Chinese translation was published in Taiwan and China by two different publishing houses,” Chen said.
“Readers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should have gotten the same content, but everything relating to the history of Taiwan’s independence movement and Taiwanese nationalism in the original work was edited out of the version available in China,” Chen said.
The disappearance of sensitive content from China’s published version exemplifies Beijing’s firm grip on free expression and spells trouble for Taiwan’s linguistic and cultural subjectivity should lower-cost Chinese workers squeeze out Taiwanese linguistic professionals, Chen said.
It has become a common practice for Taiwanese publishers to buy directly from their Chinese counterparts the copyrights of their translated editions of foreign publications to reduce costs, Chen added.
“Chinese simplified translations can be found everywhere, whether in a brick-and-mortar shop or an online bookstore,” he said.
“The number of translated glossaries of academic terminology by Chinese translators in the local market is also gradually increasing,” he added.
Given that the majority of Taiwanese translators are freelance workers and are not covered by the labor insurance program, they could be left out in the cold without any help from the government if they are driven out of business by Chinese translators, Chen said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
RSS