Images of Bohemia: The Translation of Czech literature in Taiwan and Mainland China

Abstract

Bohemia" is the historically rich and traditional name of the Czech lands or Czechia (i.e., the Czech Republic, the latter being its current official name). This term may suggest to us a "romantic" image, perhaps a romantic atmosphere and wandering, carefree style, though it is a word that cannot be defined precisely. Or perhaps a specific ethnic group will first come to mind, and/or a piece of land in Eastern Europe. Even in our so-called era of globalization, there still remains a great "cultural distance" between Chinese culture and Eastern European culture. Literary translation is of course an important bridge between Chinese and Czech culture, even if the translation itself is inevitably influenced by cultural differences. These differences are absorbed into the translated content-either intentionally or unintentionally-and thus affect the reader`s understanding. This paper investigates the development of translations of Czech literary texts in Taiwan and Mainland China during three periods: the period before 1989, when the Soviet iron curtain collapsed; the late 1990s, when translations of Czech literature in simplified Chinese characters were being increasingly re-published in Taiwan; and our contemporary period, in which we have Czech literary translations in both Taiwan and Mainland China. This study also introduces and discusses the results of a questionnaire, one which focuses on the image of Bohemia in East Asia, and the Taiwanese people`s understanding of Czech literature. This paper provides a comprehensive description of Czech literary translations in Taiwan and Mainland China, and further explores the impact of literary choices on the creation of Bohemian images in Taiwanese society.