The Japanese translation of Taiwanese novel “Chizuko and Chizuru’s Taiwan Travelogue” (臺灣漫遊錄) by Yang Shuang-zi (楊?子)and translated by Yuko Miura has received Japan’s “Best Translation Award,” becoming the first Taiwanese work to receive the honor, the award board announced Sunday.
The novel, set in late 1930s Taiwan, follows a Japanese writer and her Taiwanese interpreter’s trip along Taiwan’s railway. They enjoy local foods while providing a perspective into the lives and experiences of Taiwanese women living under Japanese colonial rule.
The novel was published by Springhill Publishing in Taiwan in 2020 and Chuokukonron-Shinsha Inc. in Japan in 2023, with tai-tai books acting as the book’s agent in Japan.
Photo grab from the Translation Award website (besttranslationaward.wordpress.com)
Yang congratulated Miura in a Sunday Facebook post, attributing the award to the work of the translator.
She also quoted and echoed the sentiment of her Taiwanese publisher, who said working on the book was an incredible journey, containing countless surprises and moments of deep joy.
Yang Shuang-zi was originally a shared pseudonym for twin sisters Yang Jo-tzu (楊若慈) and Yang Jo-hui (楊若 暉). The elder sister Jo-tzu was responsible for creating works while the younger did the historical research and Japanese translations. Shuang-zi in Japanese Kanji means twins.
After her younger sister died from cancer in 2015, Yang Jo-hui continued with the pseudonym to honor her bond with her sister.
Another recipient of this year’s award is “Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route” by American writer Saidiya Hartman and translated by Sora Enomoto.
The award ceremony will take place at Tokyo’s Digital Hollywood University on July 6, according to the award website.
The award, now in its 10th year, was established in 2014 and accepted submissions of translated works from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 the next year.
This year, the award’s longlist consists of 15 books in total, 10 of which are chosen out of works nominated by readers. The other five are chosen from books anonymously nominated by the jurors themselves.
Then, a shortlist of five books is chosen. From those, the jurors then select the one or two works that will be given the “Best” award.
Previous Taiwanese works that made the shortlist include Wu Ming-yi’s (吳明益) “The Illusionist on the Sidewalk and other stories” in the second year and “The Stolen Bicycle” in the fifth year. Both works were translated by Kentaro Amano.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS