j Confucius Institute - Budapest, Hungary

Confucius Institute - Budapest, Hungary

   1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/F., I.16.    Tel: (36)-(1)-411-6597

                           ELTE Confucius Institute    youttube.com    Kínai enciklopédia

ELTE Confucius Institution held an online lecture on "Exploring Chinese Poetry in Translation"

2022. March 10.

The Confucius Institute at ELTE University presented a lecture on "Exploring Chinese Poetry in Translation" on the 9th of March. Dr. Salát Gergely, associate professor of the Chinese Department at ELTE, delivered the lecture. The whole session lasted 90 minutes, and 29 participants were present.

Salát Gergely sinológus előadása

(Picture 1)

In the first part of the lecture, Dr. Salát explained to the audience the history of how Chinese poetry spread through Hungary. Although as early as the 19th century, the famous Hungarian poet János Arany translated some Chinese poetry into Hungarian; it was not until the 1930s that through the Hungarian poet’s, Dezső Kosztolányi's translations, Chinese poetry really became popular in Hungary. Later, in the middle and late 20th century, several outstanding Hungarian poets and sinologists translated Chinese poetry into Hungarian systematically, on a large scale.

Salát Gergely sinológus előadása

After a brief introduction, Dr. Salát delved into the main subject of the lecture, namely the problems and challenges involved in translating Chinese poetry into Hungarian, in which he described translating Chinese poetry as "dancing in shackles." Due to the aesthetic principles and requirements of the Chinese culture, Chinese poetry (especially ancient Chinese pieces) is ambiguous in terms of language expression and context implication, and the large number of quotations as well as the metaphorical application makes it more difficult for Hungarian readers to understand the discourse. Consequently, the unique form of Chinese poetry makes it difficult for Hungarian translators to maintain the original formal elements, notably the tone, the number of lines, the number of syllables per line, the rhythm etc.

Salát Gergely sinológus előadása

After outlining the difficulties of translating Chinese poetry, Dr. Salát discussed with the audience on how to solve these problems. Using Li Bai's "Thoughts on a Silent Night" as an example, he compared the translations of seven Hungarian translators, analyzed their strengths and weaknesses, and provided recommendations on how to translate Chinese poetry with a balance between content, form, and language expression.

Salát Gergely sinológus előadása

Dr. Salát ended the lecture by noting that Chinese poetry has a rich history in Hungary, and that the growing relationship between the Chinese and Hungarians is giving Chinese poetry a new dimension in the country. Through the study and translation of Chinese poetry, Hungarian sinologists could learn about the history and culture of China and promote an exchange of knowledge between Chinese and Hungarian civilizations. Salát also hopes that more young readers and scholars will read, appreciate, and pay attention to the literature of China, helping to bring vitality to the translation and dissemination of Chinese poetry in Hungary.


Author: Xu Luxi
Picture Contributor: Gájász Enikő
Reviewer: Li Denggui
Editor: Gájász Enikő



PREVIOUS NEWS