The art of translation

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-04 11:28

Jeff Crosby keeps a glossary at the end of some of his blog entries. Admittedly, they might be words a tourist would never use in China. But they are necessary to understand his particular anecdote.

"It's not just about translation, but clear communication," he says over cigarettes and tea at a Sanlitun cafe. "The idea is to expand beyond the textual translation."

He takes the same philosophy as a freelance translator in China's art and culture scene.

"Sometimes cultural exchange is too moderated," he says. "But discourse is just as important as art itself."

Crosby arrived in Kunming, Yunnan province, as a college student. But the blond, blue-eyed laowai strayed from the expat hangouts, picking up the Kunming dialect from the locals and establishing himself as a translator among friends.

After working for a tea company, he came to Beijing and delved into the contemporary art world. He now translates for artists, curators and collectors.

He moved back to Yunnan in June, still drawn to what is arguably the most culturally diverse province in China.

"Going on hands and knees" through red tape, he took part in bringing together more than a dozen artists from the Dai, Naxi, Yi, and Wa ethnic minorities for a 2005 Yunnan Revealed tour in the United States.

Recently turned 29, he is working to found his own translation consulting company. He wants to focus on arts and culture - keeping them as organic as possible.

"Culture and tradition don't have to be fixed for people to understand," he says. "People are smart enough to take the unadulterated stuff."

(China Daily 07/04/2008 page18)