This is a story set in India, about family, marriage, kinship, and love. The story is divided into two main parts. The first part tells how the great-grandfather brought shame upon the women in the family due to his act of bigamy. His beloved great-granddaughter despised him for this and refused to forgive him, even on his deathbed. The second part depicts the love between the great-grandfather and his second wife, which, despite lacking blessings, was deeply moving. Reading this story often reminds me of my late grandparents. 

While translating this story, I encountered three particularly challenging issues. First, the story involves four generations, so it’s crucial to clearly distinguish the various titles and relationships among the characters. Chinese titles are far more complex than English ones, and a small mistake can lead to confusion. The second issue lies in the author’s penchant for long and complex sentences. When translating into Chinese, excessively long sentences can increase reading difficulty and diminish reader interest. Therefore, I often split long sentences to ensure the translation was smooth and conveyed the author’s intent. The third issue is the author’s frequent shifts in the subject of sentences. For example, in one section, several female characters are mentioned. It is crucial to clarify who each “she” refers to; otherwise, the meaning of the translation could significantly diverge from the original text. 

Without the valuable feedback from my friends Xi Yang and Yirun Chen, this translation would not have been possible. I extend my heartfelt thanks to them.

About the Translator

Zhiqiang Liu is a PhD student majoring in Comparative Culture and Language at Arizona State University. He is interested in queer media in China and South Korea and translation studies. He is also interested in the queer cultural exchange between China and Korea since the premodern time. (updated 2024)

Translations

"Wings" by Misha Rai (Chinese)

The grateful acknowledgment to Xi Yang and Yirun Chen.

Xi Yang is a freelance translator who graduated from China Foreign Affairs University with a master’s degree in Translation and Interpreting. She is also a cat mum. She likes reading, visiting museums and listening to music at her leisure.

Yirun Chen is a graduate student majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures at Washington University in St. Louis. She explores the relationship between text, visuality, and historiography in the Chinese context. In particular, she pays attention to modern and contemporary Chinese literary and cultural history of love and emotions. Her research interests usually include and are at the intersection of memory and nostalgia, body and desire, time and space, and queer theory.