By Rui Hu, iChongqing News
Chongqing - on April 20, 2019, as one of the activities of “World Reading Day”, “Reading with Joy”: a Two-Generation Authors` Sharing Event was held at Chongqing Book Center.
"Reading with Joy" sharing session in Chongqing.
Yang Wuneng and an up and coming writer Yang Yue attended the event as guests to give presentations about their books and how their experiences relate to the German language. Both writers have an indissoluble bond with Germany. As a famous German translator, Yang Wuneng believes that "true translators should be a combination of writers, scholars and translators", and published the "Feeling the German" and "Pursuing Dreams as An Translator" in Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House. During the session, Yang Wuneng shared his experiences and perspective of German. He also explained the meaning of his career in translation and the great effects that German literature had on him.
Reading German by Yang Yue and Translated Books by Yang Wuneng in Chongqing Bookstore.
Yang Wuneng was awarded the "National Meritorious Medal" by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Humboldt Prize for the academic award of the Federal German Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Goethe Gold Medal, the highest award in the world of Goethe research. He has been engaged in the translation of German literature for his entire life, and has translated dozens of classic masterpieces such as "Faust" and "The Sorrow of Young Werther". Yang has also translated children's book such as "The Complete Works of Grimm's Fairy Tales" and "The Complete Works of Haughing Fairy Tales" both of which are popular and widely circulated in China. He was once called Fu Lei (one of the most illustrious translators in contemporary China) in Germany.
“I was happy to hear that my name could be equal to Fu Lei, however, I will be happier if someone calls me Translator of Bayu (old name of Chongqing)” Yang said. As to the title of the “Translator in Bayu”, YangWuneng said, “I was born and grew up in Chongqing, I don`t want to be anyone else, don`t care about the fame and awards, I just want to be mentioned with Chongqing, therefore, when someone calls me Translator of Bayu, I can totally agree.”
Yang Wuneng on his speech
In his book Feeling the German, he aimed to help readers understand the reality of German as much as possible, depicting Germany`s natural scenery and human landscapes with human touches. The book also introduced folk customs such as festivals and urban construction in Germany, witnessing the construction and the collapse of the Berlin Wall. With the reunification of east and west Germany YangWuneng's book describes the contrasts and changes as well as the mentality of people in the upheaval. It reads like a living German history.
In another book Pursuing Dreams as a Translator, he introduces his personal life and his enlightened professional career as a translator. However, “The best work of my lifetime is my daughter - Yang Yue”, he said.
Yang Yue grew up in a translator`s family, eventually learning the language and culture of Germany. Now, Yang Yue has lived in Germany for nearly 30 years. In her work "Reading Germany", she turned her personal experience into plain words, showing the lifestyle of contemporary Germany. “I got postpartum depression after pregnancy. I was in depressed for half a year. Then I was cured by German`s medical care and arts. Different from my life in Chongqing, I like to go to a concert or gallery every week, to experience fine art in a slower life pace.” Yang Yue also commented on the education environment in Germany, “I remember the words on my daughter`s kindergarten wall, ‘to learn by playing’, I was really impressed by the concept of German education”, she said.
During the interaction session, as a series of activities on “World Reading Day”, the two authors shared their experiences with “Reading” and presented helpful reading suggestions. Yang Wuneng suggested for readers interested in German`s literature, The Sorrow of Young Werther is a good choice to read. For his lifetime study in translation of Goethe research, he was willing to encourage readers to read in-depth classics books.
The 12th Chongqing Reading Month will kick off on April 20