[/caption]Sílvia Fustegueres is a translator from Chinese and English to Catalan and Spanish. Hailing from Barcelona, she has a BA in Translation and Interpretation by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). She is Chief Translation Officer at Ampersand Translation, certified translator from Chinese, Spanish and English into Catalan and she also works occasionally for the UAB (East Asia Studies Degree, Chinese-Spanish Master, etc.). She co-translated a novel from Chinese into Catalan, but she claims she discovered she is better at reading literature than translating it. She is becoming increasingly active in social media, where she runs a blog (xines.blogspot.com), a twitter account (@xines_cat) and a Facebook group called "Caràcter xinès"(www.facebook.com/groups/xines/).
In Catalan society, where Chinese has arguably been considered the most difficult language in the world, it is very rare to find locals with that level of proficiency in such a demanding, exotic language. Given the growing relationship between Chinese and Catalan economies, the increase of the number of Chinese immigrants in Catalonia and also a raising interest in Chinese culture among Catalan people, she and the other few people like her are likely going to play a highly appreciated role in the forthcoming years. We have had the opportunity to ask her a few questions for the readers of our blog and we thank her for taking the time to answer them.
Q: How did you become interested by Chinese language and what prompted you to study it so deeply? What were the comments of your relatives and friends at that time and what are their impressions now, after all your achievements?
R: My interest came unannounced: when I was admitted to university I had to choose a minor language for my studies, and Chinese and Portuguese were the only available languages I chose Chinese because of the beauty of the characters, and a few weeks after classes started I began to love the language and gradually became entangled with both the Chinese language and the Chinese culture. As for my relatives and friends, they were quite shocked because the news was quite unpredictable. They still don't understand how I managed to learn the language.
Q: Do you perceive that there is a growing demand for learning Chinese in Catalonia nowadays? What are the main changes that you have seen for the last 10-15 years?
R: I do believe a growing number of people are interested in learning Chinese. I would say two of the main reasons are jobs requiring Chinese and curiosity for other countries. As far as jobs are concerned, I'd say there is an increasing need to effectively communicate with Chinese counterparts in business relationships. As for the "curiosity", I'd say globalization brings along lots of information on other countries and cultures, and people are curious about it. Furthermore, it is much easier to travel around the world, so people get to see other places and want to be proficient in the language spoken in the places they visit.
Q: The translation of Chinese literature must be something with an added degree of difficulty as compared to a normal Chinese text. What is your impression about Chinese literature after several translations? What can be the main differences as compared to western literature?
R: I must confess I have not translated Chinese literature that much, although my everyday experience as a translator confirms that translation from Chinese language into Spanish or Catalan is much harder than English to Spanish. To put it short, I would say the difficulties exist both in literary texts and non-literary texts. When we translate, we try to convert both the linguistic and cultural system of the source text into those of the target audience, and this difficulty can be found in a long Chinese novel and in technical texts (translating patents regarding parts of a certain type of bus seat, for instance, as I’ve had to do, is no easy task!).
Q: What are people’s impression of the works you have translated? Do you feel they have been able to grasp what they were supposed to find in them?
R: I never had any complaint on the everyday non-literary translations I have done (agreements, birth certificates, technical stuff), and I believe they served their purposes well. As for the literary part, I am happy with the result, and I do believe those people who read the book have been able to grasp most of the hidden meanings and stories, although I am certain we might have missed something: it is not easy to translate XVIII century short novels.
Q: With the growing degree of relationship between Catalan and Chinese economies and with companies moving in both directions, have you perceived any change in the demand for translators? Any ideas about its potential evolution in the future?
R: I would say most of the business is done in English. And the same happens with translating books: they are usually translated from an English or French version. So in so, the need for a Chinese-speaking person is not apparent. Nevertheless, even if the source text or meeting is in English, I would recommend businesses and publishers to use a translator who knows Chinese language and culture: they might be useful when it comes to respecting certain business habits or detecting errors in the text to be translated.
Q: Nowadays many people might be considering learning Chinese and maybe some might not even dare. What advice would you give to them, and what advice would you also tell to the ones that are already studying Chinese, in order to have a real proficiency in this language?
R: If you are planning to study any language, you should be ready to spend some time abroad. Most important, you should be aware that differences are not restricted to linguistics: you must be willing to accept different realities and habits, and try to respect them. When it comes to Chinese, please keep in mind that it is not difficult to learn, it is just that learning is slower. It might take you years to be proficient, but it will be worth your while. Just be patient and learn all your hanzi. :-)
Q: Finally, please let us know a little bit more about yourself by telling us your tastes:
A Catalan book: Les veus del Pamano, by Jaume Cabré
A Catalan writer: Mercè Rodoreda
A Chinese book: Brothers, by Yu Hua
A Chinese writer: Yu Hua
A movie: Much ado about nothing, directed by Kenneth Brannagh
An actor or actress: Denzel Washington
A song or musical piece: The sun always shines on TV, by A-ha
A singer or performer: Depeche Mode, Lonely China Day
A landscape: The hills as seen from the Chinese Wall
A dish from Chinese cuisine: Jing jiang rou si
A dish from Catalan cuisine: Fricandó
A wish: Improve my Chinese
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