Jin Di ( or ; September 1921 – 7 November 2008) was a Chinese translator. He was the first Chinese translator who translated James Joyce's ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

'' into Chinese language, a project that took 16 years to complete.

Biography

Jin was born in Wuxing County (now

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinc ...

), Zhejiang, in September 1921. After graduating from National Southwestern Associated University in 1945, he worked as a translator in the U.S. News Office in China. He started to publish works in early-1940s. In 1947 he taught at

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

. In 1955 he was a translator in ''China Construction'' magazine. In 1957 he taught at

Nankai University Nankai University (NKU or Nankai; ) is a national public research university located in Tianjin, China. It is a prestigious Chinese state Class A Double First Class University approved by the central government of China, and a member of the fo ...

. After the Cultural Revolution in 1977, he taught at Tianjin Foreign Studies University. Jin's translation career commenced when, in collaboration with British poet Robert Payne, he began to translate Shen Congwen's collection of stories, ''The Chinese Earth'', into English and had it published in Britain in 1947. In 1978, at the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, he began translating James Joyce's famous novel ''

''. In 1982, he went to live in the United States and continued his translation of ''Ulysses''. In 1993, Taiwanese Jiuge Publishing House published ''Ulysses'' (Volume 1), and he became the first Chinese translator of ''Ulysses''. A few months later, another version of ''Ulysses'', translated by the couple of Xiao Qian and

Wen Jieruo Wen Jieruo (; born July 1927) is a Chinese translator, author and editor. She translated literature from English and Japanese to Chinese. Wen is a member of China Writers Association and Chinese Translation Association. She is fluent in both Engl ...

, was published, and there was some resentment between Jin Di and the couple. He was a visiting professor at Oxford University, Yale University, University of Notre Dame,

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

, University of Virginia, National Humanities Center, University of Washington, University of Oregon. In 2005, Jin became the first Asian to be conferred with an honorable membership in the Irish Translators' and Interpreters' Association (ITIA). Jin died in the United States, on November 7, 2008.

Translation

* ''

'' ()

Awards

* 2001 "Senior Translator" – Chinese Translation Association

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jin, Di 1921 births 2008 deaths National Southwestern Associated University alumni Writers from Huzhou Academic staff of Nankai University English–Chinese translators People's Republic of China translators Republic of China translators Educators from Huzhou 20th-century Chinese translators 21st-century Chinese translators Chinese expatriates in the United Kingdom Chinese expatriates in the United States