INTERVIEW / Translator Karin Betz introduces Taiwanese literature to German readers

Berlin, Jan. 27 (CNA) German veteran translator Karin Betz, currently translating the award-winning Taiwanese novel "Taiwan Travelogue" (台灣漫遊錄), has spent decades bringing Taiwanese and Chinese literature to German readers.

For German readers of Chinese literature, her name is hard to miss.

From Nobel literature laureate Mo Yan (莫言) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), to science fiction novelist Liu Cixin (劉慈欣) and martial arts fiction icon Louis Cha Leung-yung (金庸), Betz has translated works spanning eras and genres, introducing Chinese literature to the German language market of more than 200 million readers.

In 2024, she received the Helmut M. Braem-Übersetzerpreis for her translation of Hong Kong author Xi Xi's "My City: A Hong Kong Story" (我城), honoring her decades-long contributions to literary translation.

Encounter with Taiwanese literature

Betz's journey with Taiwanese literature began with the works of Sanmao (三毛).

In a recent interview with CNA, she recalled discovering that Sanmao's "Stories of the Sahara" (撒哈拉歲月) had never been translated into German in 1991.

The book, rich with a women's lived experiences and themes of colonization and cross-cultural relationships, immediately struck her as one that would resonate with Western readers. Betz took it upon herself to translate the work and pitch it to German publishers.

"Literature can transport readers into a different cultural landscape, letting them understand how people lived and thought," she said. "No travel guide or news story can replace that."

This insight has guided her translations of Taiwanese literature, which she has undertaken more frequently in recent years.

German translations of Chinese literature largely come from China, Betz notes, so Taiwanese works remain underrepresented.

However, that does not mean Taiwan's works are any less creative. "There are many intriguing and mature Taiwanese literary works," said Betz, explaining that Taiwanese literature is often in a style that speaks to a younger audience, addressing gender, identity, and social values with a natural approach.

Compared with Chinese literature, Taiwanese authors depict LGBTQ+ themes more naturally, weaving them into character relationships and storytelling as part of everyday life, she added.

Bridging cultural gaps

For Betz, novels serve as bridges between cultures, conveying the smallest details of a foreign society to readers' imaginations.

In 2024, she translated Taiwanese author Katniss Hsiao's (蕭瑋萱) crime novel "Before We Were Monsters" (成為怪物以前).

A description inside the book puzzled her: "In front of the temple entries, someone is playing with two quartered-moon-shaped wooden blocks."

"It turns out this refers to a common Taiwanese ritual, throwing divining blocks (擲筊杯), when praying to the gods," said Betz.

These cultural details require extensive research and verification, but she calls them the most rewarding part of translation. "They make a society concrete, helping readers understand locals' daily religious life."

Betz also notes a major shift in the language of contemporary Taiwanese literature. Whereas older works were primarily Mandarin-centric, many modern authors intentionally incorporate Hoklo, Japanese, and English elements, using language itself as a vessel for identity and history.

"But this also poses a significant challenge for translators," Betz said. With limited research tools and dictionaries, she often turns to friends or authors themselves for context on Taiwanese issues.

She said, the complexity and intersectionality of language make Taiwanese literature distinct in the Chinese literary world.

Betz is currently translating Yang Shuang-zi's (楊雙子) "Taiwan Travelogue," a work that explores colonial history and language exchange from a woman's perspective.

For Betz, the book exemplifies how Taiwanese literature communicates its unique experience to the world. It also provides an opportunity to let German readers understand the delicate historical layers of Taiwan.

"If a German reader falls for a Taiwanese author, or Taiwanese literature, they may also want to understand the land that bred the story, and its future," Betz said.

● 'Taiwan Travelogue' translator, editor awarded prize by ALTA