Dear Editor,
I was impressed by Marilyn Chin’s translations of Ho Xuan Huong in the April issue. I reveled in the sassy, brilliant wit of this Vietnamese poet. Then I was disturbed to discover a ring of male translators circled around Chin in the July issue, punching, taunting, and kicking her and her translations. Shame. This is plain old ganging-up in any language. It’s nothing new. I’ve seen the same thing in insecure non-native translators and literary critics who claim ownership of any place where they have planted their assertive flags. The commotion isn’t really about quality of translations. Chin has just as much right to translate, perhaps more than anyone involved in this discussion. Essentially, the slam is based on racism and sexism. But Chin has successfully cracked the key and given an ancestral female voice fresh breath.
I was impressed by Marilyn Chin’s translations of Ho Xuan Huong in the April issue. I reveled in the sassy, brilliant wit of this Vietnamese poet. Then I was disturbed to discover a ring of male translators circled around Chin in the July issue, punching, taunting, and kicking her and her translations. Shame. This is plain old ganging-up in any language. It’s nothing new. I’ve seen the same thing in insecure non-native translators and literary critics who claim ownership of any place where they have planted their assertive flags. The commotion isn’t really about quality of translations. Chin has just as much right to translate, perhaps more than anyone involved in this discussion. Essentially, the slam is based on racism and sexism. But Chin has successfully cracked the key and given an ancestral female voice fresh breath.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Originally Published: October 23, 2008
Letter to the Editor