CALL FOR PAPERS
DATE: 13–14 August 2026
Translation serves as a channel “through which foreign influences can penetrate the native culture, challenge it, and even contribute to subverting it” (Lefevere, 1992). Since its opening to foreign dwellers, Hong Kong has been such a porous harbor where languages, cultures, and ideologies were constantly contested for legitimacy. Missionaries, diplomats, colonial governors, and intellectuals from all parts of the world participated in the process of identity assertion, social formation, political negotiation, and cultural contestation. Translation has been a major resort from which all stakeholders seek help in this process, yet the role of which has hitherto been underexplored. In view of this scholarly gap, the Research Centre for Translation (the Centre) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong decided to launch the “Hong Kong Translation History” research project, with the aim of advancing the study of Hong Kong’s translation history in collaboration with scholars from different regions.
The first research seminar was held in July 2025 under the title of “Between Politics and Poetics: Literary Translation in Hong Kong History.” The Centre is planning for a second meeting for scholars whose research interests intersect at the role of literary translation and the history of Hong Kong. We are calling for papers from (but not limited to) the following areas:
Adopting an inclusive understanding of “Hong Kong Literary Translation History,” we welcome scholars from all career stages with an interdisciplinary background, covering areas of translation studies, literary studies, historical studies, cultural studies, and related fields. It is our hope to open dialogues and build connections among scholars with shared interests, thereby revisiting the history of Hong Kong translation.
Submission: Please send an abstract of your paper (no more than 300 words) and a short biography to translationhistory@cuhk.edu.hk by 15 June 2026. All abstracts will be reviewed by the Conference Committee. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out before 30 June 2026.
Date: 13–14 August 2026
Venue: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Languages of presentation: Chinese (Putonghua) and English
Cost: No registration fees are required. Participants will cover their own travel, food, accommodation, and other costs.
Contact person: Dr. LIU Yunrou (translationhistory@cuhk.edu.hk)
For more information, please visit https://rct.cuhk.edu.hk/translation-studies/research-projects/culture-and-power/
