About translating Vietnamese literature: Insider's opinion

The reporter had an interview with writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau - Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee - Vietnam Writers Association, Head of the Hanoi Female Translators Group about the above issue.

Translator Kieu Bich Hau. Photo: NVCC

PV:Dear writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau, in recent years, we are no longer unfamiliar with the phrase “global citizen”. Do you think it is time for Vietnamese literature to promote more activities so that more and more works can go beyond national borders to become regional and global products?

Writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau:Since 2012, when I published my fourth book, I have been thinking, how to publish my work abroad? What is the process? I wanted to know how readers abroad would react to my work. Then came the time when I had my work published in foreign newspapers, and had my first bilingual poetry collection in English and Italian titled “An So” published in Italy, translated by the Italian poet Laura Garavaglia. That great joy made me realize that I had opened a door to my dream.

When I attended a literary forum abroad, I saw that my international literary friends all had at least 5 books published in 5 different languages, while I only had 1 book, so I started setting goals for myself. I was too late for this! Then in 2019, when I needed to collect works for an anthology of Vietnamese and Indian poetry and literature, I searched with all my might but could not find any works that met the requirements and that already had an English version.

Standing on the international forum, we have nothing to say, to prove to our fellow writers. It is too late and there is too little translated work, while contemporary Vietnamese literature does not lack works worthy of translation. Almost all Vietnamese writers are not aware of the need to translate their works into English, French, etc. to promote them abroad. This is not simply to make a name for themselves, but the writer's duty in cultural diplomacy, contributing to helping the international community understand Vietnam, trust and have deep sympathy for Vietnam through literary works.

The book "The Sorrow of War" by writer Bao Ninh was published in English in 1993.

PV:And from that reality and desire, the Hanoi Female Translators Group was born? Can you share more about how the female translators group operates as well as the criteria for selecting Vietnamese works and authors to promote abroad?

Writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau:Yes. I started doing this quietly for about a year and found that the amount of work was getting more and more, I couldn't keep up. Every day I had to spend more than an hour to improve my knowledge of theology and philosophy so that I could talk to world writers and fully understand their spirit. Spend another hour to connect and exchange information. Then translate the work, find suitable domestic newspapers to publish the translated work. Next, I translated the domestic work back to publish it abroad.

I needed more people to join me. Luckily, I was able to connect with 4 other members, all of whom were poets, writers, and teachers with good English skills, in Vietnam or abroad, who understood my aspirations and joined me. At the same time, we recruited collaborators who were domestic and foreign translators, foreign editors to join us…

First of all, they are members of the Vietnam Writers Association, or members of the provincial Literature and Arts Associations, whose works have been published domestically. The works chosen for translation must also have a national spirit, for humanity and human dignity, and the ideas and expressions must not be too foreign to the common cultural spirit of humanity.

PV:So what are the responsibilities and rights of authors whose works are selected for translation and introduction?

Writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau:The author's responsibility is to ensure copyright, invest in translating the work into a foreign language, then send the translation and original to the Hanoi Women Translators Group for review. When it is satisfactory, we send it to foreign press editors. After they proofread, the work is published. The author's right is to promote (free of charge) his or her work in magazines, print newspapers, electronic magazines and foreign literary platforms. The author still retains the copyright of the original work in his or her mother tongue, and the translator also has the right to have his or her name (along with the author) on the translation of the work into a foreign language.

Authors whose works are featured in the Romanian magazine NEUMA.

PV:Recently, there have been conflicting opinions, expressing concerns, even doubts about the purpose, remuneration for translators, translation quality, prestige and influence of foreign newspapers and magazines publishing the works introduced by the Group? Can you clarify this?

Writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau:Some newspapers have written articles praising and encouraging the achievements of the Hanoi Female Translators Group. However, there are also opposing opinions. We accept and adjust when we see constructive comments. The Group's purpose is to improve the serious lack of Vietnamese literary works translated into the world's strong languages. We are quite proud to have helped more than 100 Vietnamese authors have at least 1 to 5 works translated into English, French, Korean, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Uzbek, etc.

Regarding the quality of the translation, if anyone points out specifically which translation of the Group is lacking in quality, we are willing to sit down and discuss with them. The Group is currently calculating the translation fee at the support fee for the author. Many authors have their works translated by the Group without being paid because the author has passed away, or because they are in difficulty, or are in poor health, or because they have a close brotherly relationship and are accompanying us...

Regarding the prestige and influence of foreign newspapers and magazines that the Group is collaborating with, there are magazines that have been on the market for many years, and even receive printing funding support from the Romanian government, such as NEUMA Magazine (print magazine) of Romania, Humanity Magazine of Russia (print) also has a global readership, and Poliz Magazine of Greece has 22,000 regular readers.

PV:Promoting Vietnamese literature abroad is a long-term task, very important in the process of cultural integration, but to achieve optimal and sustainable results, many factors must be ensured. In your opinion, what are those factors?

Writer and translator Kieu Bich Hau:The most important thing is that we need to change our thinking about promoting Vietnamese literature. Along with that, we need to invest appropriately in funding, promote training for domestic translators, connect with foreign translators, establish publishing houses, specialized awards for the translation field, organize in-depth promotion for some typical contemporary Vietnamese authors, whose valuable works aim for prestigious world awards such as Nobel, Pulitzer, Man Booker international...

PV:Thanks for the chat!