Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 翻譯研究所 === 102 === The 1990s in Taiwan were an almost unprecedented era of globalization, commercialization, urbanization, and cultural and social change following the lifting of martial law in 1987. Against this vibrant backdrop Taiwan’s tongzhi and ku’er communities powerfully found their voices through a number of political and social movements and, perhaps most importantly, through a number of talented young authors who wrote specifically for this emergently visible yet still marginalized market. Among these authors, Chi Ta-wei occupies a prominent place: his early novellas and short stories brought visibility to tongzhi and ku’er communities and the issues they faced while offering powerful critiques of the social, political, gender, and sexual inequalities and imbalances in Taiwanese society that prevented these communities from enjoying full equality with their straight peers. The present thesis offers a translation of Chi’s second, prize-winning novella, 膜 Mo (Membranes), in addition to four other short stories that were published under the title Membranes in a 2011 collection of Chi’s works. The thesis is divided into two Parts: Part 1 consists of a study of the works translated, while Part 2 consists of the translations themselves. The first chapter of Part 1 serves as an introduction to the study, containing a brief preface, an introduction to the author, summaries of the translated works and a brief review of the scholarly literature on Chi’s works and currently available translations. Chapter 2 presents a brief chronological discussion of tongzhi literature in Taiwan from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present, helping to situate Chi’s works in their literary and cultural context. Chapter 3 discusses Chi’s use of queer themes and contexts in his works, highlighting how the author uses his fiction as a vehicle to both inspire and critique the often conservative social and military cultures of 1990s Taiwan. Chapter 4 discusses my views on translation and provides examples of translation problems encountered and the strategies used to overcome them. Finally, Chapter 5 offers brief concluding remarks that recapitulate my views on translation and note that much work still remains to be done in making Chi Ta-wei available to foreign readerships. This chapter is followed by Part 2, which consists of my translation of the five works by Chi Ta-wei discussed in the preceding chapters.
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