Taiwan as a Contact Zone: Connecting to the German-Speaking World
International Conference organized by Dr. Astrid Lipinsky, Vienna Center for Taiwan Studies, University of Vienna; co-organized by Prof. Dr. Ann Heylen, International Taiwan Studies Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan and Dr. Jens Damm, ERCCT, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany.
Abstract to
A New Era for Taiwanese Literature in German Translation: Self-Confidence and Collective Action to Promote Taiwan
Astrid Lipinsky 李雅瑞 (University of Vienna, Managing Director VCTS, AUSTRIA)
Since the 1980s, driven by German scholars, few Taiwanese literary works have been available in German translation. This paper examines recent shifts stemming from increased Taiwanese self-confidence. Taiwanese stakeholders now collectively and democratically select works for translation through expert roundtables. A Taiwanese editor, Annie Hsu, a professor at National Chengchi University, commissions translations (primarily by German translators), chooses the publisher (Projekt Verlag), and cultivates a dedicated series of Taiwanese literature in German. This study analyzes the portrayal of Taiwan in two recent anthologies, Von Wahrsagern und Technofrauen and Von Berglern und Geheimagenten – Zeitgenössische Erzählungen aus Taiwan, highlighting the German debut of author Ping Lu. Finally, the paper explores the politically motivated financial support driving this initiative to raise Taiwan’s profile in Germany and globally.
Link to event with full abstracts
Registration fee for two days including lunch and coffee break: 70 Euro
(Regular students of Sinology at the University of Vienna can register free of charge directly by email)
Registration: Please register by emailing Dr. Astrid Lipinsky at astrid.lipinsky@univie.ac.at
