On July 17, 2023, the College held a thesis proposal conference on a key Chinese academic literature translation and publishing project funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China (NSSFC) for 2022 to 2023, for a book titled Chinese Art by Zhang Fa. The project for the Japanese edition of the book is applied by Prof. Han Lihong, director of the Japanese Department and China Remin University Press. Prof. Han Lihong is also the initiator of the project.
The conference was held by Prof. Wang Xinxin, Deputy Director of the Japanese Department of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University. Speeches were also given by Meng Delong, Deputy Director of the Department for Humanities and Social Sciences Research Administration of Nankai University and Prof. Yan Guodong, Dean of the College of Foreign Languages, Nankai University. The proposal defense committee is made up of Prof. Lin Meimao, President of the Chinese Society for Studying Japanese Philosophies and a Professor of the School of Philosophy at Renmin University; Prof. Wang Qing, Deputy President of the Chinese Society for Studying Japanese Philosophies and Research Fellow of the Institute of Philosophy at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Yamashiro Tomofumi, Associate Professor of the Literature Department of Meio University, Okinawa, Japan. Members of the project team also attended the conference, including Prof. Nakamura Shunsaku, a professor at Hiroshima University; Yu Jun, Associate Professor of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University; Dr. Sun Yuan from Huaibei Normal University; Dr. Liang Xiaoqing from Tianjin University of Technology and Education.
The conference begins with a warm welcome from Prof. Wang Xinxin to the attendees. Mr. Meng congratulated Prof. Han Lihong for receiving NSSFC funding, hoping she could lead the team to provide quality work for Japanese readers, for which the Department for Humanities and Social Sciences Research Administration will offer full support. Prof. Yan Guodong later spoke highly of Prof. Han Lihong’s understanding of Japanese culture and philosophy, pointing out that the translators for the project must be equipped with a profound understanding of the culture and philosophy in both China and Japan. He expressed hope for the members to formulate detailed plans and work together in an effort to deliver a quality work, and the College will also provide full support. Prof. Yan concluded with his faith in the book, hoping it can be successfully published in Japan and receive widespread attention.
Prof. Lin Meimao, the convener of the proposal defense committee, also moderated the conference. The initiator, Prof. Han Lihong, introduced the main content and significance of the book and the members of the project team, and also illustrated the feedback from reviewers, plans for revision, abridgment made to the original work at the request of the author, divisions of labor, as well as plans for publication and promulgation.
While expressing their approval, experts of the proposal defense committee also raised questions and discussions on the significance of the project, translation content, team members, technical route and translation strategies.
Prof. Lin Meimao believed that the book encompasses the history of art, aesthetics and mind, involving Chinese philosophical ideals, moral concepts, and artistic insights. Therefore, the project team members are expected to strengthen their professional training to ensure a smooth completion of the project. Professor Wang Qing, an expert on the proposal defense committee, believed that the translators of the book are required to have knowledge of aesthetics and philosophy, with a comparative perspective between Chinese and Western cultures, and hoped that the translators can convey the "implicit meaning" in the translation. Japanese expert of the committee, Associate Prof. Yamashiro Tomofumi, affirmed the selection of the book and the plans for publication and promulgation, and mentioned that translating philosophical and cultural vocabulary requires certain expertise. Prof. Nakamura Shunsaku also acknowledged the difficulty of translating Chinese classics but expressed the determination to do a good job on this project. He looked forward to contributing to the translation of this publication in proofreading and revision as a Japanese expert. In addition, Associate Prof. Yu Jun, Ms. Sun Yuan, and Ms. Liang Xiaoqing, all expressed their unanimous commitment to translating this book with quality.
The two-hour conference concluded with the approval from the experts of the proposal defense committee, who believed that the project is of great significance, the initiator boasts rich translation experience, the division of labor is clear, the members are able to undertake the translation project, and the team also works closely with the publishing press. It is their hope that this publication can deepen the academic exchange between China and Japan and further increase the influence of Chinese academia in Japan. The proposal defense committee, therefore, gave their approval for the project.
