Student Translation Project
HKBU 2017
Translating Hong Kong contemporary literature
"Days in the Water City" by Chan Hay Ching is a story about the Chinese diaspora in Venice. Aunt Quan and her family own a small hostel catering to the Asian tourists. It is a difficult job but Aunt Quan feels proud of what she has achieved. The story points out cultural differences not only between the European metropolis and the Asian immigrants but also among Asians themselves.
Project 1
December 2017
"Cross-Harbour Bus 103" by Ho Wu Yin Ching is a meditative text that takes place during a ride on the bus 103 which connects Hong Kong Island with Kowloon. The two different sides of the city offer very different possibilities for its inhabitants.
Project 2
December 2017
"Jia Lili Moving to a New House" by Chan Hay Ching is a story that implies the relationships among Hongkongers, Mainlanders, and the Taiwanese. Conflicts between Hongkongers and Mainlanders are very common in Hong Kong nowadays. Sometimes, people can be confused about their identities, just like Jia Lili and her colleagues.
"Yeast" by Hon Lai Chu is a story about love, family, and food. The smell of freshly baked bread connects two generations of Hong Kong women. It offers comfort in times of distress. It also symbolizes life itself. The two sisters have a very different relationship with the breadmaking process, which transfers in their different relationship with the mother.
Project 3
December 2017
Project 4
December 2017
Project 5
December 2017
Project 6.1
December 2017
Tailored by Mary Wong is a story about a university graduate Cheung Siu Mei who decided to stay and work in Hong Kong instead of going back to Macau. Mei discovered that at first she thought this city could not affect her life, but now, things seemed to be different.
"The Young Robin Hood" by Wu Yin Ching is one of the stories in her first collection. The collection was awarded one of the best ten books of 2011 by HK secondary school student. It immerses the reader in the daily lives of different people. These fine pieces of writing show Wu’s skill in the use of the smooth flow of language.
Project 7
December 2017
"Puma" by Hon Lai Chu presents the relationship between a human and her pet cat. Using the magic realism the author talks about alienation and loneliness. Human relationships are replaced with an imaginary relationship with a cat.
Project 9
December 2017
"Yeast" by Hon Lai Chu offers another translation of the story. Two generations of Hong Kong women are connected by the bread making process. As long as the yeast is fed the family stays together, no matter how difficult life might be.
Project 8
December 2017
"The Legend of the Floral Cloth Street" by Wu Yin Ching is a personal family story intertwined with the history of Wing On Street, also known as Flower Street, famous for being lined with cloth shops. It is a nostalgic story about a street that does not exist any more.
Project 6
December 2017
"The Reunion" by Wu Yin Ching is another story from her first collection of short stories. in a very humorous way, Wu Yin Ching presents the importance of the language teacher and the lack of language skills in today's world.
Project 6.2
December 2017