Poets and translators attend The International High Level Forum on Contemporary Chinese Poetry Translation and Transmission in Beijing on Friday. Photos: Zhang Yuchen/GT

\An international forum to promote contemporary Chinese poetry overseas kicked off in Beijing on Friday. A major highlight of the forum was the focus on establishing cooperation between poets and translators to help increase the quality and appeal of translated poetry.

The two-day event, The International High Level Forum on Contemporary Chinese Poetry Translation and Transmission, also marked the establishment of the Key Points Poetry Translation Studio (KPPTS).

At the opening ceremony for the forum, Chinese poet Jidi Majia, also vice-chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, spoke about the tough situation contemporary Chinese poetry faces today and expressed his hope that the establishment of KPPTS will help establish better communication between poets and translators over the world.

"It is necessary for poets to participate in the translation process, otherwise you cannot guarantee the authenticity of the translation," Jidi Majia added.

Jennifer Feeley, a US translator and a poet, echoed the sentiment.

"It is important to have a native speaker of the language. Not only to translate, but to carry out deeper selection in the editorial process.

"Because sometimes, a poem that sounds really great in Chinese doesn't really work in English or Italian for different reasons, but could be translated really well if Chinese poets get involved. So I think it really helps if we have more cooperation by both parties," she said.

More than 20 well-known Chinese poets were invited to attend the forum, as well as translators, publishers and activists from 12 countries including Belgium, Germany, France, Canada and the UK. During the forum, both domestic and foreign experts discussed the translation of contemporary Chinese poetry and the art form's continued development overseas.

Most experts agreed that contemporary Chinese poetry has long been trapped in an awkward situation where the many translations that exist in different languages are rarely seen in bookstores.

Many at the forum explained that this was most likely because the focus overseas is still ancient Chinese poetry.

The lack of qualified translators is also a major issue according to the experts at the forum.

Zhao Si, KPPTS founder and also a poet and translator in her own right, pointed out that many translators focus too much on adhering to the structure of the original poetry.

"Most scholars and translators focus on formalism. They are trying to restore the form of the poetry," Zhao said, admitting that while this "has academic value," such translations are difficult to recognize as being poetry.

"This is why I have suggested that poets become more involved with the translation process," she continued.
Newspaper headline: Moving beyond form