Wang Yongnian

Summary

Wang Yongnian (Chinese: 王永年; pinyin: Wáng Yǒngnián; 17 March 1927 – 21 July 2012) was a Chinese translator. He was the first person who translated Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron in whole texts into Chinese.[1] He was among the first few in China who translated the works of Jorge Luis Borges's into Chinese language. His translations are well respected by domestic and over scholars.

Wang Yongnian
Native name
王永年
Born(1927-03-17)March 17, 1927
Dinghai District, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China
DiedJuly 21, 2012(2012-07-21) (aged 85)
China
OccupationTranslator
LanguageChinese, English, Russian, Spanish, Italian
Alma materSt. John's University, Shanghai
Notable worksThe Decameron

Wang was a member of the China Democratic League.

Biography edit

Wang was born in Dinghai District, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, on March 17, 1927. His father was the director of the Yunnan Salt Bureau during the Republic of China (1912-1949). He graduated from St. John's University, Shanghai, where he studied alongside Eileen Chang.[2] During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he studied Japanese and Russian. After the establishment of the Communist State, he worked at Translation Publishing House in Shanghai. In late 1950s, the Xinhua News Agency wanted to set up a Spanish Foreign Reporting Group, they looked for talents in Shanghai and through the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China knew that Wang Yongnian of the Translation Publishing House understands Spanish, than he was transferred to Beijing. In the 1980s, he worked as a reporter for Xinhua News Agency in Mexico. He retired in the 1990s. He died of bowel infarction at Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, on July 21, 2012.[3][4]

Personal life edit

Wang had one son and two daughters. His eldest daughter named Wang Jiang (王绛).[3]

Translations edit

References edit

  1. ^ "All the Chinese Are Learning Foreign Languages, but China Still Lacks Excellent Translated Works". chinabookinternational. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  2. ^ 王永年译《在路上》稿酬不到1万 乃张爱玲同窗. sohu (in Chinese). 2012-07-24.
  3. ^ a b 最可“信”翻译家王永年去世 曾翻译欧·亨利等人作品. people.com.cn (in Chinese). 2012-07-24.
  4. ^ Tian Bolan (田波澜) (2012-08-14). 王永年:让博尔赫斯在汉语中的重生. ifeng (in Chinese).
  5. ^ Giovanni Boccaccio (1994). The Decameron (in Chinese). Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House. ISBN 9787020104406.
  6. ^ O. Henry (2002). Selection of O. Henry's Short Stories (in Chinese). Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House. ISBN 9787020102686.
  7. ^ Lewis Carroll (2019). Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (in Chinese). Beijing: China Aerospace Press. ISBN 9787515915791.
  8. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). The Garden of Forking Paths (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532762897.
  9. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). The Book of Sand (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532762927.
  10. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). The Aleph (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532762934.
  11. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). Ficciones (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532762903.
  12. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). The Moon in front of Saint Martin's Notes (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532773053.
  13. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). El informe de Brodie (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532762910.
  14. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). A Universal History of Infamy (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532762880.
  15. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). Song of Shadow for Six Strings (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532771219.
  16. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). Tales of the Night (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532773077.
  17. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). Discussion Set (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532768295.
  18. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). The Other (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532768035.
  19. ^ Jorge Luis Borges (2015). Dante Alighieri (in Chinese). Shanghai: Translation Publishing House. ISBN 9787532767601.