French translator Gwennael Gaffric, French linguist Elizabeth Zeitoun, and music ensemble founder Chen Yi-fen (陳逸芬) from Taiwan were presented with Taiwan-France Cultural Awards at the award ceremony in Paris on Monday night.
The ceremony was held at the Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques, which co-hosted the awards together with Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture (MOC).
The awards were established in 1996 by the two institutions and are held annually to honor contributors to Taiwan-Europe artistic interactions, according to the MOC.
Photo: CNA
Having researched and translated Taiwanese literary works for over a decade, Gaffric has brought to Europe French translations of works such as “The Man with Compound Eyes” by Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-yi (吳明益) and “Membranes” by Taiwanese writer Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉).
As an assistant professor of Chinese language and literature at Jean Moulin University Lyon 3, Gaffric also organized the “Lyon Spotlight Taiwan” at the university in 2021, a project that has continued into its fourth year in 2024.
He said he felt a duty to promote as “vibrant a place as Taiwan” to more people and show that Taiwan is very “surprising.”
The award will encourage him to continue helping the world see Taiwan and helping Taiwan “make its own voice,” Gaffic said,
Zeitoun has worked at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top academic research institution, since 1992, promoting and contributing to the research, recording, collection and preservation of Taiwan’s Austronesian languages, which are spoken by Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples.
She said the award was another honor and touching moment for her after obtaining Taiwanese citizenship in 2017 and felt it would motivate her to keep contributing her expertise to Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples.
Even though Taiwan’s Austronesian languages are disappearing at a rapid rate, “I have not given up hope and will continue efforts to record the languages,” she said.
“This diversity in language and culture is what makes Taiwan such a charming and exciting island,” she said.
Zeitoun has also nurtured Indigenous talent over her three decades in Taiwan. “I learn and I give back,” she said.
A Baroque flutist and founder of the Formosa Baroque ensemble, Chen has promoted European classical music around Taiwan and acted as a bridge for classical music exchanges between Taiwan and Europe.
Currently on tour in Taiwan, Chen could not attend the ceremony, and music critic Wu Wen-yao (武文堯) accepted the award on her behalf.
Bernard Stirn, the perpetual secretary of the Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques, said in his remarks at the ceremony that Taiwan and France collaborate closely based on their shared values in the humanities and democracy.
Deputy Culture Minister Sue Wang (王時思) echoed the sentiment, saying that the awards have fostered dialogue and interaction between Taiwan and Europe.
“Taiwan’s image has become clearer and more understood,” she said, promising that the MOC will continue to spawn international understanding and support for Taiwan in the cultural realm.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS