Yaqi Xi
About
I am a PhD student in Translation and Transcultural Studies. My research focuses on English translations of contemporary Chinese literature. I am currently working on my PhD project on translating and audio-remediating contemporary northeast Chinese literature, where I seek to empower literary translators in cultural industries through creative practices of translation and trans-mediation. My PhD research is supervised by Dr David Orrego-Carmona, Dr Qian Liu, and Professor Maureen Freely.
Research
My practice-based PhD research, 'The translator’s voice embodied: translating "the New Northeast Chinese Writers Group" from text to audio', is predicated on an awareness that the vocal presence and delivery of the (co-)creators of a literary text (authors, translators, narrators) is playing an increasingly important role in the making and reception of literature. My research hopes to work with audio media to explore creative ways of literary translation and trans-mediation, using my voice as a literary translator - in and beyond my translation work - to present and promote under-represented translated literature in the World Literature Market. I propose to weave my voice as a literary translator through a two-stage, text-to-audio translation project, drawing literary examples from the Chinese 'Rust Belt' fiction written by the 'New Northeast Writers Group' that includes Ban Yu 班宇, Shuang Xuetao 双雪涛, and Zheng Zhi 郑执 to show how a translation poetics of 'translating for the audio', combined with literary translators’ experimentation with audio remediation may help translators from 'lesser' translated languages garner visibility for their work.
Research Interests
Chinese literature in translation; queer literature; psychoanalysis and literature; sound studies and audiobook studies.
Conference Papers
'Creative methods: translating "The New Northeast Chinese Writers Group" from text to audio', The International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting (IPCITI 2023).
'Giving voice to my translation: towards a praxis of the literary translator's vocal empowerment' (view my talk here, from 15:10), When I Dare To Be Powerful International Conference 2023.
'Giving voice to the (still) rusted: translating Chinese "Rust Belt" literature amidst a world-literary system in crisis', School of Modern Languages and Cultures PGR Symposium 2023.
Scholarships and Awards
Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership, AHRC Doctoral Award, 2022-2026
Fellowships
' An audio-narratological investigation of recorded literary readings in English (1924-)', AHRC International Placement Scheme at The Library of Congress (LOC), US, June-September 2024.
Engagement
2023 Midlands4Cities Research Festival co-organiser and 'Creative Showcase' coordinator.
YA book narrator, The Big Read, April 2023, via WIE Network
SMLC Student Ambassador (Feb 2023-)
Qualifications
MA in Literary translation studies, University of Warwick
BSc in Psychology, Fudan University