Trinity College Dublin and the Taipei Representative Office in Ireland launched the second iteration of its annual poetry translation event on Tuesday. The competition, known as “Translation Slam,” is open to the public and invites people to translate a chosen Taiwanese poem into English.
This year, event organizers have selected the poem Through Centanary Square by Taiwanese writer Gustave Cheng. Cheng’s poem is written in Taiwanese Hokkien.
Last year, competitors were asked to translate a poem from Mandarin to English. This year, in observance of Taiwan’s linguistic diversity, organizers selected a poem written in Hokkien.
The festival seeks to celebrate poets in Taiwan and Ireland and strengthen friendship between the two countries through culture.
Winning translators will then be tasked with reading their versions and defending their choices to moderators and an audience.
People have until October 1 to enter their submission.